P5: Fallen Hero
by GrimReaperJr1232
Summary: After losing everything he cared about after one fatal mistake on that fateful night, Souji swears vengeance and chaos against Philemon and his servants. For now he had the power and knowledge. It was upon him to stop this curse from destroying more lives. After all, that is what heroes do, don't they... Nanako? Co-authored by wes80 (DA)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone and welcome to my latest experiment! So, I've been writing the fic Death From Within quite a lot—too much in fact. In other words, I needed something new to work on because I was pretty burnt out from writing it. So, a friend of mine recommended this idea and… voila!**

 **This first chapter here is more of test to see if anyone would be interested or not. I mean, people have been asking me to write a P4 fic since my first story and while this isn't really that, it's P4 related, so close enough. It's basically an evil/dark Yu fic during the events of P5. Like I said, this is just an experiment, so no telling how far it'll go.**

* * *

Souji took a step back from the television and held a hand to his chest, trying to calm his heart down for it was over. He had done it. Souji has thrown the bastard into the television world and it was over...

"That was for my sister, you son of a bitch." He cursed Namatame one more time as he glared at the TV with the same amount of hatred he had shown the man when he was cowering in front of him. It was a little poetic that the killer's instrument of murder would be what ultimately killed him.

Souji turned to his friends, the people who had stuck by him throughout this case and helped him find the culprit behind the series of murders that had plagued the small town of Inaba.

"None of what happened leaves this room," Souji said, "let 'em come up with whatever explanation of what happened, but no one is to know the truth."

None of them had it in them to respond. The shock was still fresh in their system and hadn't yet worn off. But they didn't have to respond. The looks on each and every one of their faces made it clear that they had all silently agreed to never speak of what happened to anyone.

"Let's get back to Nanako and…" Souji bit his lip, "S-Say… Say our goodbyes."

Everyone was eager to leave—or rather, they were eager to leave the crime scene, but none of them truly wanted to go the room where the once bright and hopeful little girl had met her end all too soon.

No matter how much they didn't want to go there, everyone surrounded the bed where the girl's body still laid. The doctors had attempted to resuscitate her, but it would seem that miracles were in short supply these days.

"It's over Nanako," Yosuke whispered as he gently brushed the girl's hair out of her eyes that would never open again, "we've… we've made sure the man who did this paid for what he did."

"I-I doubt she would've liked that," Chie said, barely able to hold back the tears. Hell, a few seconds later she gave up trying entirely, no one was hiding how much all of this was really affecting them.

"Yeah, she always was a kind girl." Rise's voice was barely above a whisper as she wiped the tears from her eyes. The little girl that had been a sister to all of them was now gone because of the actions of one deluded man. Even if that man was gone now, that wouldn't change the fact that she was too.

Kanji was crying just like the girls, not that anyone could blame him. However, even then he noticed something off about the group. "Wait, where… where'd Teddie go?"

"He's gone." Souji said, holding note in his hands. "He said that he was thankful to all of us for everything, but staying any longer would be too… painful, so he's gone back to his own world."

"So in the end," Yukiko struggled to talk, barely able to choke back her tears enough so that words could get out, "we ended up losing two friends."

Souji opted to keep his silence. He had so many things he wanted to say—too many. If he said even one, then everything else would just come flooding out.

" _I'm sorry, Nanako,"_ he thought as he held his cousin's hand. _"I'm sorry I wasn't able to save you. I... I… I'm so sorry…"_

But his apologies would continue to go unspoken. He was the leader, the strongest of his posse, yet, he didn't have the strength to say a few simple words.

…

…

" _What am I even doing here?"_ Souji began to wonder as he continued walking around the town—or did he walk to the city? He was so occupied with his thoughts that he hadn't even kept track of where he was.

He didn't have a destination in mind. He just wanted to walk for the sake of walking now. His feet were hurting, but he didn't pay that any mind. He could still feel pain, he could still walk, he could still do something as simple as breathing, but now his cousin—the only one who had ever called him 'big bro' would never be able to feel or do these things again.

Damn, he was thinking about her again. The more he thought about her, the more he walked. The more he walked, the more he thought about her. The paradox continued until he just couldn't go anymore on most days.

How often did he do this again? Was it daily? Weekly? Was there supposed to be a schedule to all of this? Maybe all of it was on the same day, but his sense of time had become so distorted that he lost track? Who cared anymore to find out?

The fog had gotten so thick ever since then. Was there a reason for it? There probably was, but he didn't have the strength or will to find out. Perhaps it was better to be ignorant in this case—the truth was probably just going to lead to more and more pain he didn't want to go through right now.

"Souji? What are you doing here?"

Souji's footsteps stopped instantly. He turned to the source of the voice and saw the short bluenette Naoto standing there, a look of confusion, concern, and even a hint of horror all mixed into one.

"I… I want to go home now." Souji answered with the first thing that came to mind. Where even was home? Not long ago, that's what this place was. Ever since she died, this was just some… place. It was like the fog itself had clouded this place so well that it not only stripped away the joy he once felt here, but also any semblance of familiarity it once had. Everything just felt so… alien now.

Naoto slowly reached out and grasped the boy's hand. She'd never seen him like this before. He was always the one who inspired all of them to try their hardest, made them feel like they could overcome everything.

Now, here he was.

He looked lost, confused, and just… empty. Souji was the source of everyone's strength, but now that fire that was inside him was gone. All that was left was an empty shell.

"Let's… let's go back." Naoto said, unconsciously tightening her grasp on his hand. This was all she could of to do for him right now, but what good did that accomplish?

…

…

Naoto continued to hold onto his hand as she brought Souji back to his room. It had hardly changed a bit since she had last time she had been in here—the place was still seemingly spotless, though, she also began to wonder how much sleep Souji had actually been getting these days.

Both of them sat on the sofa that had been there for as long as Souji could remember during his time in Inaba. Naoto noted small bags that were beginning to form under his eyes and how the area around them was beginning to darken.

However, she also noted that his eyes weren't directed at her, but at something else. It wasn't hard to find what he was staring at—the TV that had been in his room since the start of this entire murder mystery.

"Souji, you can't keep doing this to yourself." Naoto shifted in her seat before placing a hand on his face to turn him towards her. "You know she wouldn't want to see you like this."

"Oh, I know," Souji responded, his voice lacking… anything. "But that only makes it worse. I know all that, but I'm still like this. It's funny how that works."

"Souji…"

"I just… I can't really describe it," Souji sighed, "I… I just miss her. I miss her so much."

"We all do, Souji. We all do." Naoto tried her best to sound comforting. While she might have come from a line of detectives, her ability to interact with others was lacking. Still, she couldn't sit around and do nothing. "But you're still here. You might be able to live with her now, but you can still try to live _for_ her now."

"I guess you're right." He reached up and grasped the hand that was still on his face. Even though she was gone she still had people who cared about him.

Naoto's cheeks became flushed, but she didn't pull her hand away. Instead, she used the other so that she was now cupping his face.

Hesitating for a moment, the two began to slowly lean closer towards one another. Both of them could feel their hearts skyrocketing in their chest as they approached each other with their lips slightly parted, leaning closer and closer until—

 _ **BANG**_

Both of them jumped out of their seats as soon as they heard the loud noise. It wasn't just any random noise. It was something that came from inside the house.

Souji's mind went blank as he approached where he believed the noise had originated from with Naoto trailing from behind.

Not long ago, Dojima was released from the hospital and…

And…

When Souji opened the door to his bedroom, he saw that Dojima… with a pronounced blood splatter on the wall, behind where his head was… and his gun in his hand.

He didn't even move an inch when Naoto ran to call an ambulance. He was just frozen in time as he watched the blood on the wall slowly began to trail its way down, gradually slowing down while the rest of it began to coagulate.

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why did this happen?

Why did this happen?

Why was he losing the people he cared about one by one?

Why?

Why?

Why couldn't it all just end?

…

…

"Souji, help!"

"Help Senpai!"

"Help!"

Souji was rendered frozen again as his friends screamed for him to help them. They had managed to find Izanami, but even then, everything just got worse and worse.

He could already see the lifeless bodies of Chie, Kanji, and Yukiko. Meanwhile, everyone else was on their last legs while fighting what could only be described as a goddess.

Once again, he could only watch helplessly. He tried… He had tried so hard to fight. But it only ended in failure again.

"I'm sorry…" Souji took a step back, slowly shaking his head.

"Souji, do something!" Yosuke shouted for support, barely able to keep on fighting.

"I'm sorry…" Souji repeated, eying Naoto whose eyes met with his for just a moment, but that was she needed to know what he was about to do.

"Come on, partner!" Yosuke begged his friend. If there was anyone he could count on in a time like this, it was Souji.

"I'm sorry…"

Souji turned the other way and ran as fast as he could without looking back. Maybe the others managed to survive? Maybe not? He didn't know. All he knew was that he had to leave, now.

Traitor, coward, monster, there were so many words that could've been used to describe him right now.

…

…

Of course, he was recalled into the Velvet Room. The same place he had visited when he was on the train first arriving to this cursed town. He was always brought back here when there was something important to be said, or there was some change, or… hell, who knows what else?

This time, Souji wasn't going to let them speak first.

"Is this how you get your kicks?" Souji asked glaring, "Do you enjoy seeing my world crumble around me? Is that it?!"

Igor began to speak, "Master Souji, I—"

"Shut it, you long-nosed bastard!" Souji refused to let Igor get another word in. He had talked long enough. It was his turn.

"I tried everything I could and… and I… I…" Souji choked as he tried to push back his tears of Dojima, Nanako, everything.

"Do remember," Igor snapped his fingers and a paper with Souji's name on it appeared flowing between them, "the contract states that—"

Before the long-nosed man could finish, the contract between them was suddenly cut in half with Souji brandishing the blade.

"Fuck this game of yours, fuck that contract…" Souji's eyes focused on Igor, "And fuck you!"

In a fit of rage, Souji moved as fast as he could in the cramped car, aiming to put an end to that bastard once and for all.

"Enough of this!" But in his answer, he failed to remember Margaret.

Even in the small enclosed space, it wasn't hard for her to lift him up and knock him around. She wasn't trying to kill him. She was merely trying to defend her master while making her guest listen to reason.

Just before she could deal her last blow that knocked Souji back into the seat he normally occupied the boy reached out and grabbed onto the compendium that she always had by her side.

Souji coughed as he clutched onto the compendium now in his possession while the residents of the Velvet Room were briefly stunned by shock. Before they could try to take it from him, Souji immediately left the Velvet Room as quickly as he could.

…

…

…

" _Damn them, damn them!"_ Souji cursed the Velvet Room as he ran—away from Inaba, away from his friends, away from… everything.

It was all because of them. They led him on this path and look where that got him. His friends, his uncle, and even his little cousin who he loved like a sister—they were all gone!

And who was responsible? He heard them mention someone name Philemon before. Apparently all of this was just a part of some twisted bet. That's all they were—pawns in some game for some twisted god.

But just they wait… they were going to pay.

He had the compendium now. While it was going to take practice, he knew that he had a vast source of power and knowledge at his disposal. They _will_ pay for everything.

Best way to hit them would be hit the pieces of their game. There probably was or will be some other persona users out there, and he was going to put a stop to them by any means necessary. They were going to know that going down the path of a persona user was only going to blow up in their face.

And if they still continue to try, even after knowing the dangers… well, they would have already made their choice by then. Nothing else matter except making Philemon and the rest pay for what they did to him—treating his life like a sort of plaything and causing him to suffer. They were all going to die by his hand.

No matter...

They were going to pay. They were going to pay in blood and tears for what they did to him.

They were going to pay for everything.

…

…

…

Akira yawned as he was finally able to get off the train that he had been in for who-knows how long.

" _So, this is Tokyo, huh?"_ He thought as he looked at his surroundings while traveling to where his caretaker should live. The city certainly was lively… and a lot more populated an cramped than his home town.

Regardless of whether he likes it or not, however, he was going to have to live here for the next year thanks to the terms of his probation.

" _Eh, it isn't that bad."_ He shrugged to himself. _"An entire year away from home, I have a feeling this is going to be a fun year."_

* * *

 **Yeah… not a happy ending/story. Like I said, this is a bit of an experiment. Do tell what you guys think of the idea. Meanwhile, I'll just… sleep for a couple centuries.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Fun Fact: While writing this chapter, my documents tab ended up completely purging itself. So, I had to rewrite this entire thing from scratch. Dammit, why am I so prone to technical problems? This is bullshit!**

 **PersonaHiroto: Yes, Akira is supposed to be the hero of this story. I think it'll be tough for me to characterize him, but I'll do my best.**

 **Guest 1: I should issue this warning… don't expect the battles to be as good or as long as FM's. Sorry, but part of the reason I made this fic is to help me get better at writing battles.**

 **Kamen Rider Evol: Wouldn't call it unique, but thanks.**

 **Angryboy13: As much as I love Gray and Grey morality, Souji is the villain in this. As for Marie, she did that thing where she wiped everyone's memories of her and then she went poof.**

 **Guest 2: I see someone likes reading TV tropes. So do I.**

 **Raze Olympus: I wouldn't call myself a great author, but thanks. As for the ANs… don't know if there will be a guest joining me this time, maybe you'll just be stuck with me.**

 **Oh, and you may notice that this fic is also co-authored by Wes80 (the name being taken from her Deviant Art account). Bless her! And to my other unnamed co-author… fuck you. Why? I'll never get over you trolling me for an hour.**

* * *

Souji made sure to hold onto the tome as tightly as he could, refusing to let Margaret snatch it away from him. That powerful artifact had given him a lot in the past few years and there was no way he was going to let it go now.

"You fool!" Margaret removed the hold around her old compendium. "Let go!"

"To hell with you!" Souji screamed back in defiance, kicking the nearby dust into her face and escaping her grasp. As soon as Margaret got the dust out of her eyes, she moved forward and Souji was ready, flicking forward a number of cards in her direction, fully expecting her to dodge and she did, not stopping her advances towards him.

Souji slashed her legs with the next two cards and ran, kneeing the side of her head and planting her on the ground. He immediately flipped through the pages and called forth an explosion of flames, scattering smoke and dust in the area and then running off as fast as he could.

"Get back here!"

"Oh shit!"

Margaret was back on her feet in seconds, racing behind him and tripping him to the ground. She grabbed a hold of his collar, lifted him up and then threw him headfirst into a nearby tree. She coughed and then started walking, eyes fixed on the powerful book. They had been at this for years, with no definite winner between them but today was finally going to be that day...

 _"Big bro...?"_

Souji was blasted by the memories of his loses and he let the frustration loose with a loud scream directed towards his former attendant, lunging at her and crashing with sickening force, enough to draw out a grunt from the blonde female who clenched her jaw and fought back, not able to manhandle Souji because the wild card had grown, grown so much stronger in the past few years.

"Your stupid contract!" he hissed out in her ear and slammed the book into her stomach, jolting her a few feet in the air. She winced and could not block the next shot to her dome which sent her stumbling. "RUINED. EVERYTHING!"

Margaret saw the next shot coming and dodged, her hand wrapping around Souji's throat but to her surprise, he gripped her wrist and scowled at her, slowly removing her hand from around his throat, overpowering the female who once seemed invincible to him.

"Stop blaming us for your failures!"

"My failures!?" Souji wrenched her wrist and Margaret cursed, stepping back and getting another hard shot to the side of her head. Souji hammered her down and opened his book, switching through the pages and looking up at the skies that divided, a ray of light spiraling downwards and expanding as soon as it made contact with the ground.

"NO!"

A bright flash of light later, Souji kicked Margaret on the skull and retreated from the little forest where the two were battling. Margaret saw his retreating form amongst the fading light and cursed, punching the ground in fury because the result was the same as always. He had escaped yet again and to her dismay, he was not as exhausted as she was. She thought the long struggle that had been going on for years would drain him but Souji looked as fresh as ever and that terrified her somewhat. She was slowing down and Souji was only getting better, getting faster but most importantly, with every battle, he was getting more and more determined to destroy them once and for all.

How did it come to this again?

She never thought it would come to this...

A Wild Card was steadily losing his sanity, descending into madness with just one goal in mind.

Their destruction.

The death of Philemon.

Margaret regretted not killing him in the Velvet Room that day.

"Master Igor..." the female sighed and laid down for a bit, exhausted and confused because unlike Souji, she was feeling the effects of their battles.

Souji grinned at the compendium in his grip. Much like always, he had escaped but this time, the damage was not as severe. The first few times he barely got away with his life but with every battle, no, with every second, he was getting stronger. Margaret used to manhandle her with her superior strength but now he was able to match her, even overpower her at times. She used to confuse him with her speed but now he was faster, fast enough to escape her grasp every single time but most importantly, the compendium had given him a lot and while it was difficult at first, he had mastered everything, summoning, fusing, controlling the most powerful artifact that was brimming with spiritual power and personas.

"Tokyo..." Souji checked his old cellphone and slowed down when he reached the entrance of the great city. The tome in his grip disappeared and she steadily moved into the busy streets, looking around for a few guys to mug because he needed a place to stay. Living on the road was rough but the past few years had made him adaptable. He did not care about morals anymore because as far as he was concerned, he was doing everyone a favor by killing Philemon.

"I'll stay here for a bit." he sniffed the air and let out a sigh. He could feel something in the city, something mythical and powerful. "This will be interesting..."

"Very interesting, indeed..."

…

Akira yawned and reached for his glasses as he got out of bed for what would be the first of many days of school.

While the school itself was fine, he couldn't exactly get over the fact that he was literally sleeping in some dusty old attic. If that wasn't enough, the school staff and his caretaker pretty much wore a scowl on their face whenever they saw him due to his criminal record.

" _Ah well, beggars can't be choosers."_ He thought to himself as he changed into his school uniform and headed downstairs.

Surprisingly, when he made it downstairs to his caretaker Sojiro's café, a fresh plate of curry sitting there waiting for him.

"Oh, you're up." Sojiro who had been watching the TV hanging from the corner of the café said, gesturing the curry on the table, "it's your first day of school, so I figured I'd make you something. Don't get used to it."

"Really? Thanks Sojiro." Akira thanked before sitting down to enjoy his breakfast. He had to give it to Sojiro, he might've been cold to him but damn could he could he cook curry. Looks like there was a reason this place was still up and running despite being all the way in the back alleys.

"Looks like even delinquents have their manners," Sojiro thought as he looked back at the TV. "Hurry up, there was an accident with the trains and I don't need you running late, and the sooner you leave means the sooner I can open up."

"I'm movin', I'm movin'…," Akira quickly wolfed down everything on his plate as quickly as he could. Even when he did something nice, Sojiro still had to act cold towards him. Looks like earning his trust was going to take a while.

Swallowing the last remnants of the curry, Akira stood back up and pulled his bag up to his shoulder. "I'll flip the sign and everything for you, don't worry," he muttered as he left the café and pulled out his phone. He'd only been there for three days so he was going to need a navigation app to help him out, especially considering the train accident that Sojiro mentioned.

What he didn't account for however, was the fact that it was about to rain.

" _Crap, crap, crap, crap…"_ Akira repeated mentally as he ran for the nearest shelter for the rain to stop. Lesson learned: pay more attention to the weather reports, or at least get a weather app on his phone or something.

Not long after finding somewhere dry to wait the rain out, another student squeezed into the same spot he was using.

Said student was wearing the school uniform, but with a hoodie underneath that covered most of her skirt, and bright red tights. With her having escaped the rain, she put her hood down to reveal blonde hair tied into pigtails and her blue eyes.

And he had to admit it he was staring.

"Yes?" And that he was caught staring.

"U-Uh, nothing…" Akira immediately looked away trying desperately to not come off as some sort of creep, "I just moved here and you're the first person my age I've met and… yeah, that's it."

All that he got in response was an unenthused "oh," followed by an awkward silence. Maybe it would've been better to just keep his mouth shut?

Luckily, a car soon pulled up to the both of them. The car's window went down to reveal a man that seemed to be dressed in a t-shirt and what looked like an mp3 player around his neck—was he a teacher or something?

"Hey, need a ride?" the man offered.

"Sure, thanks." The girl agreed quickly as she got in the car. Akira couldn't quite say why, but something about the girl seemed… off about her when she got in, almost like she didn't actually want to say yes. Then again, he just met her so what did he know?

"What about you?" The man asked Akira, "Want a ride to school?"

Akira smiled and shook his head, "Me? Ah, no thanks. I should try to get familiar with the area while I can."

"All right then," the man said before putting up his window and driving off.

As the car was leaving, another boy ran past Akira presumably to chase the car or something but stopped when he ran out of breath. The boy had what looked like dyed blond hair and the standard school uniform but with some casual shirt underneath.

Panting heavily from his sprint, the boy muttered something along the lines of, "screw the pervy teacher."

"Pervy teacher...?"Akira repeated. Unbeknownst to him, the strange app he had deleted from his phone the first day he had arrived had reappeared again and was now listening to every word he said.

The blond boy looked back at Akira and frowned, "what do you want?" he asked as he walked towards him. He seemed to limp on one of his legs—old injury maybe? "Thinking about ratting me out to Kamoshida?"

"Don't know who that is, but nice to meet you too Dick." Akira deadpanned.

"Don't know who—" The boy seemed confused for a moment, "you… go to Shujin, right?"

"I just moved here." Akira answered, "And yes, I do go to Shujin now."

"Just moved here…?" The blond repeated before thinking for a moment, "wait, you're that transfer student!"

"You mean I'm already famous?" Akira chuckled to himself. "Anyhow, yeah that's me. Now what's this about Kamoshida?"

"Dude, watch yourself around him," the blond warned. "Bastard treats the school like his own private castle."

"Speaking of which," Akira gestured towards the sky, pointing out that the rain had stopped, "we should get going."

The blond seemed catch the meaning and the both of them continued to make their way towards the school, both completely unaware that the app on Akira's phone was still running and had been listening to their every word.

Once they arrived at their school… they were instead greeted to a giant castle.

"What the hell?" the blond said, the bewilderment in his voice matched only by the look on Akira's face. "This… is Shujin, right?"

"I was here yesterday and…," Akira looked around for a moment, "yeah, this is where it should be."

"Was there some event that I didn't know about?" the boy said as the two of them wandered inside the school/castle.

Just like the outside, the inside of the school was also completely different from what Akira had seen during his very brief visit to pick up his school ID. It used to look like an ordinary school, but now it looked like some sort of European castle.

Akira looked up and saw that at some point, they had even put a few chandeliers on the roof… on top of making the roof a lot further up somehow. What was going on here? Did they take a wrong turn or something?

"The sign outside said 'Shujin" right?!" the blond boy asked. Whatever it was that was going on, it wasn't anything that either he or Akira had been forewarned about.

Akira nodded, "yeah, it said Shujin but this sure doesn't look like it."

"Halt!" The two boys turned to the source of the voice and saw… a literal knight in dark armor. "State your business!"

"Uh… Blondie, explain." Akira was quick to put the boy on the spotlight. He had just transferred here so, he was completely out of the loop on what was going on.

"Dude, awesome costume…" the boy as he walk to the knight, "do you have any idea what's going—" before he could finish his sentence, the knight knocked Ryuji to the ground and was suddenly reinforced by several more knights.

"You two are guilty of trespassing in lord Kamoshida's domain!" the knight said, "You are to be sent to the dungeon to await sentence!"

Akira looked at the knights around him and shrugged, "Okay, I'll say it. What the f—" and then his world went black.

…

…

…

"Hey man, you alright?" A voice called out to him. "C'mon, wake up!"

"Not so loud…" Akira whispered and he slowly opened his eyes, "my head's killing me."

The boy sighed in relief, "I was afraid you weren't gonna wake up after they knocked you on the head and dumped us here."

"And where's here?" Akira asked as he surveyed his surroundings. Just like the knight said, this indeed looked like a dungeon.

"Don't know where we are, but we have to get out of here!" he said before running to the iron bars that kept them in there.

"Agreed," Akira groaned, "name's Akira Kurusu by the way. You?"

"It's Ryuji Sakomoto," the boy introduced himself.

Before the two of them could devise and escape plan, however two of the knights that had thrown them in the dungeon appeared marching towards them.

"Rejoice," one of the knights said, "your punishment has been chosen. For the charge of 'unlawful entry,' you both are sentence to death!"

"What?!" Ryuji screamed in shock.

"That… sounds really excessive." Akira couldn't tell if this was all just some sick joke, or if had actually lost his mind. Nothing about what was going on made sense anymore.

"No one can do as they please in my castle." A familiar voice said as its owner came closer and closer.

"Wait, is that you Kamoshida?" Ryuji said, at a loss for what he was seeing. In front of him was the same teacher that Akira had seen before in the car, only with glowing yellow eyes, a bright crown on his head, a red kingly coat around his body, and underneath it was… nothing but pink underwear for some reason.

"Is that you Sakomoto?" Kamoshida asked, his voice coming off as both a mixture of amusement and surprise. "Are you trying to disobey me again? Looks like you haven't learned your lesson, and you even brought a friend."

"This isn't funny asshole!" Ryuji screamed before Akira could get word out.

"You dare to insult me—the king?!" Kamoshida frowned his blood was already boiling at the insult. This peasant dared to think he had the right to think—let alone speak—such profane words directed at him? "It's time for your execution!"

With Kamoshida's orders, the two knights plus reinforcements entered the cell. One stood in the corner watching, one kept a sword pointed at Akira, while the other two restrained Ryuji's arms.

"Worthless pest!" Kamoshida taunted Ryuji before reeling his arm back and repeatedly beating Ryuji over and over again as Akira was left to watch.

After what felt like hours, Kamoshida spat on Ryuji who was now lying on the floor beaten and bruised from the teacher's assault. "A filthy peasant like you isn't worth beating."

Kamoshida raised his arm as to order his knights, "I'll have you executed on the spot!"

It was then that Akira couldn't keep silent anymore, "Are you out of your goddamn mind?!"

"What was that?" Kamoshida turned around walked towards Akira, looking into the young man's dark grey eyes, "don't tell me you _don't_ know who I am."

Akira glared at the so-called teacher, "A wannabe king claiming a dump for a castle?"

"Hmph," Kamoshida growled as he kicked Akira hard enough that he fell towards the wall behind him. "Hold him there. I'm going to have fun with him."

Following their lord's orders, two of the knights pinned Akira to the wall to restrain him, leaving him completely unable to help Ryuji who was now begging for his life.

" _Dammit…"_ Akira cursed mentally. He wanted to do something—no, he HAD to do something, but there was just… nothing he could do. He was just… powerless.

" _ **This is truly an unjust game. Your chances of winning are next to none."**_ A voice called out to Akira.

" _What the…,"_ Akira looked up and saw an out of place blue butterfly slowly flying past him.

" _ **But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be hope."**_

" _What're you talking about?"_

" **What's the matter?"** Another unfamiliar voice called out to Akira, this one sounding more masculine. **"Are you merely content watching?"**

" _The hell are you people talking about!?"_

" **Are you keen on the idea of forsaking him to save yourself? Even though death awaits him if you do nothing?"** The voice asked. **"Tell me was your previous decision nothing more than a mistake? Was it nothing more than a one-time choice to never be repeated again?"**

His previous decision... his decision to help that woman when she was being assaulted by that intoxicated man. He could've just walked away, but he intervened which led to the man falling and getting injured, giving him just the excuse he needed to take him to court and cause his life to fall apart.

If he was living in the west it'd be one thing, but the people of Japan took criminal records very seriously. Wherever he went, he'd always carry a mark of shame with him. It'd be a miracle if he'd even be able to find a decent job anywhere that'd take him in now. Not just him, but now his parents were likely going through hell all because of a decision he made… the decision to help that woman rather than walking away and leaving it alone.

" _I-I… no, it wasn't."_ There was no way he could've just walked away. If he did, he'd have whatever happened to that woman on his conscience wherever he went. What happened to him wasn't because of what he did, it was because of bastards like this who think they can just do whatever they want and no one has the will to stop them.

" **Very well,"** the voice said, sounding satisfied, **"I have heeded your resolve."**

Suddenly, Akira felt intense pain beginning to surge throughout his body with the majority of the pain being focused on his head. Akira writhed in pain, screaming and grunting as the knights continued to hold him down.

" **Vow to me,"** the voice demanded, **"I am thou, thou art I. Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all of thine own, through thou be chained to Hell itself!"**

Kamoshida pointed at Ryuji with a grin on his face, "Execute him!"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Kamoshida turned back and saw Akira glaring at him with a smirk on his face. "People like you hold a special place in my heart for people I despise. You always act like you're better than everyone, when really it's just been too long since someone came around to putting scum like you back in their place."

Kamoshida let out a low growl, causing one of the knights to strike Akira with his shield knocking the boy's glasses off.

"Hehe," despite this, the boy laughed. "You look pretty built... how many shots did that take? Never mind that, because all those needles in your ass will not help you today."

Kamoshida let out a loud agitated grunt at the boy's smug attitude, "You want to die that much? Fine, you'll be executed first!"

"Me? Die?" Akira let out a low chuckle as his eyes refocused on the figure's yellow eyes, "but the fun's just getting started."

Before the knights could act, a sudden gust of wind originating from Akira's location pushed them back forcing them to stand their ground until the winds died down.

When they did, Akira reached out and felt a mask on his face. The mask was white with a little back around the eyes and was somewhat shaped like a bird. When he tried to pull it off, the mask remained stuck to his face like it was glued on.

Grabbing on as tightly as he could, Akira pulled the mask off with as much strength as he could muster. The mask just wouldn't let go, instead it ripped off the very skin it was attached to causing Akira to scream in agony as his blood was splattered all over the dungeon floor.

With the mask gone, Akira raised his head revealing a face that had been completely covered in his own blood. Slowly, he opened his eyes to reveal two bright yellow ones not dissimilar to Kamoshida's before being engulfed in a blue flame.

From the blue flame came two orange eyes with a mouth shaped into a permanent sinister smirk. The flames rouse from Akira, revealing his school uniform to be replaced with a black tailcoat covering a grey shirt with black pants and boots. The blue flames soon transformed into a red figure with long metal claws and still keeping that face that could only belong to a monster despite the rest of it appearing as that of a well-dressed gentleman.

Surrounding the red figure and in Akira's hands were links to various chains that were swinging wildly in the Akira. All he had to do was let go of the chains and the red figure above suddenly formed a pair of large wings that pushed all of the knights back.

Akira continued smirking at the shadows as the mask he had ripped off moments prior reappeared on his face after taking the brief form of more of the blue flames.

"So, what was that about an execution again?"

…

…

…

"Hehe," Souji laughed as he sat on the sofa on his new apartment. It wasn't anything grand, but it would do as long as he stayed in Tokyo.

But that wasn't why he was laughing.

He could feel it.

Someone had just awakened to their power. No, not just someone, but someone who was just like him—A Wild Card. Another one of Philemon's chosen.

He didn't know why he was chosen or what it was he was chosen to stand against, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that Souji now knew that there was another one of Philemon's chosen, most likely meaning that there was also something else here in this city.

One warning—that was all he'd get. He didn't know what he was getting into, so he deserved that much. His hatred was reserved for Igor and Philemon; it's hard to condemn and unknowing pawn. If there was another god or something here... he'd think of something later.

"All right, Wild Card," Souji said, staring out his apartment window, "hope you heed my warning. This is for your own good."

* * *

 **Holy fucking fucker fuck! I can't believe Akira's awakening took this fucking long to write. Jesus…**

 **On another note: It's kinda strange for me to try and characterize Akira since he's pretty much uncharted territory for me, but that was the same for the FeMC in my P3 stories, so I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. I'll just say it though just so no one complains. The Akira in this story is probably not the Akira you've interpreted when you played P5, okay? I had someone say something similar in the past, so I thought it'd best to get it out of the way.**

 **And thank my unnamed co-author (we'll call him Anon) for the Marge v. Souji fight. I'm not a battle expert, but I don't think I'll have a choice when it comes to this story.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Kamen Rider Evol: It'll happen when it happens. As for when that is, I'll get back to you on that.**

 **Guest 1: Actually, we DO know what the assistants and Igor are. Igor was a doll that was brought to life by Philemon, while the assistants are literal avatars of power. As for Philemon, he's the good of humanity in contrast to Nyarlathotep who is pretty much everything wrong with humanity.**

 **Gilgamesh the king of heroes: Actually, that is something that has been considered. Thing is, that's a pain to implement due to how sensitive P5's plot is considering certain things need to happen for next thing to happen all the way until the PT get a full party. Fucking hell…**

 **Guest 2: You're a much more optimistic man/woman than I.**

 **Fatty635: Uh-oh, is this an FM scenario where the antagonist is more popular than the protagonist? Oh boy…**

 **Raze Olympus: You'll see.**

 **Guest 3: I can get that. Honestly, the biggest challenge was actually finding a way for Souji to do a heel-turn. So we went with Nanako dying, Dojima dying, him losing his nerve and leaving his friends to die, and then him trying to shift the blame to the Velvet Room… and maybe a bit of insanity .**

 **From here on out, the chapter should also be influenced by Wes and/or Anon (mostly the former). Just saying and whoever spots the writing style change gets a free e-cookie. In the meantime, let's try to get past the boring parts of P5. Seriously, it's so heavily scripted that this fic must be boring af right now, huh? Damn you ATLUS… Damn you.**

 _ **WES: Eyyyy, this is Wes here and I'm really happy to say that I'll be joining Grim for this wonderful ride as a co-writer! To really bring this fic to life, I made some concept art, fanart, and art cover for Fallen Hero! The link is below. Concept art and fanart will be slowly released in the future, such as Seta's new Persona, and full phantom thief costume designs, as we progress through the relevant chapters. We hope you continue to be with us throughout this fic thank you! Ps Did some editing for chap 3 to make it flow better.**_

Fan cover link: sta . sh/0ntnj9m5kn8

* * *

" **I am the pillager of twilight—'Arsene'!"** The mysterious apparition spoke in a regal baritone, shooting forth a twisted barrage of all-consuming azure. It hovered proudly above Akira, its majestic wings and grand figure creating a dark silhouette, sharp claws extended to its master as if waiting for a command to unleash its terrifying power **"I am the rebel soul residing within your heart. If you so desire, I shall grant you my power to aid you in this crisis."**

"We already made the pact, didn't we?" Akira asked, pulling up the crimson glove on his left hand. "I don't plan on dying."

"Who the hell are you?!" Kamoshida demanded, stunned by the demonic figure's sudden appearance, his knees now quaking. The king of lust hurriedly rushed behind his knights, ready to make his escape now that the tables had quickly, completely, turned on him. This new sensation of a dangerous, yet foreign power made every senseable fiber of his being scream out in agony, shaking him to his very core. King Kamoshida had no idea why he had felt this way, only that he had chosen to listen to his instincts.

"Someone you never should've fucked with," Akira spat back bitterly, watched as the tyrant's previously triumphant expression change from a sadistic grin to a terrified, cowardly visage, while a smirk slowly spread across his own.

" **Use your inner strength,"** Arsene ordered, **"channel your animosity into power and unleash it!"** Akira could feel a wave of chaotic energy quickly rush through his very existence. This new surge in energy swirled around him, enveloped him, gave him the power that he needed, and, above all else, made one single word bubble up from his subconscious into his conscious mind. He glared at the two foes in the small chamber, and silently muttered, "Eiha," unleashing a violent torrent of red and black explosions that spiraled upwards into the air, dancing erratically until it tore apart one of his enemies who let out an ear piercing howl before disappearing.

Alarmed by other's defeat, the knight that remained in the cell transformed into a gooey black tar-like substance, then morphing what could be a miniature Jack-O'-Lantern donning a witch's hat and cloak, with a hand holding an actual lantern with a single ember inside.

The new entity remained static, instead seemingly observing Akira. It's glowing amber orbs floated eerily in the empty silence. It was still, way too still the boy thought. Until he noticed a small change in the atmosphere and saw tiny yellow sparks beginning to fly beneath his feet. Sensing the impending danger, Akira leapt to his right, almost losing his footing, the sparks erupting into a full blown flamethrower, charring the floor where he stood previously. The teenager gave a sigh of relief, if he had dodge only a few seconds later, then it would been bye bye Akira. No, as if he could allow that to happen, the world needed someone like him dearly.

" **Now is the time to strike! Now, use your blade and cut you enemy down!"** On cue with Arsene's words, more of the mysterious blue flame engulfed Akira's hand briefly before fading away to reveal a large silver dagger. Clutching the knife tightly, Akira took off like a speeding bullet, hastily cancelling the distance between him and the creature. The teenager decided to go for a surprise uppercut, easily slicing the lower half of the pumpkin and swung the blade wildly as fast as he could—it was so easy to cut through, like a knife going through butter. Then finally, Akira held his knife in a reverse grip and drove the knife straight into the creature's pumpkin head. Letting out one last screech in pain, the Jack-O'-Lantern faded away in a puff of black smoke leaving nothing behind.

"W-What…" Ryuji rubbed his eyes, unable to properly process the massive amounts of sensory overload. The former athlete was no stranger to battling fantasy creatures, and summoning his own in video games, but to see such things play out in real life unsettled him.

And with the last of the shadows disappearance Arsene faded away into Akira's psyche. The high schooler's face was briefly engulfed in azure flames once more, before taking the form of the very mask that he had ripped off just a few moments before.

Now that his first skirism with death was over, Akira relaxed his posture and looked over himself. However, despite his calm outward facade, inwardly, he really couldn't control himself. What the hell just happened? He mused, then a slow, panicked realization, dawned on him. Not only did he just earn a new set of flashy clothes just like in the animes, but he was extremely close to being barbecued alive by a floating pumpkin. Dying for the boy was not an option, no matter how appealing his new school made it seem. Were his initial thoughts.

"You little…" A low growl came from Kamoshida—who had apparently stayed to watch the entire event—snapped the boy out of his train of thought. Before either of them could make a move, Ryuji sprung back up on his feet and charged into the tall man as hard as he could, sending the bastard flying into a nearby cobblestone wall.

"How's that, you son of a bitch!" the blonde cursed at the shadow, who was now writhing in pain on the cell floor. He was about to berate the man even more, when felt a light tap on the shoulder. He turned to face his raven haired friend, who now sported a sly cheeky grin and what he made out to be their way to freedom. The small, rusted metallic cell keys clinging together reminded of him of their dire situation. Akira secretly thanked Ryuji, as if not for his bold, yet rash assault on the Kamoshida, he never would have had enough time to find their method of escape.

"Attempted murder, have we?" Akira teased as he gestured Ryuji to leave the cell with him, "I think he deserves to be locked away for a long, long time to think about what he's done."

"Damn you!" Kamoshida tried getting up, rushing towards the cell's exit, trying to grab at one of the intruders, only to be met by cold grimmy steel as Akira slammed the door right into his face. He railed back from the impact, letting out a pained howl, before clutching his nose, sinking back down onto the floor.

"Now, now, it's not that bad, I'm sure that mental scar will heal" Akira chuckled as he mockingly walked over to the stream of roaring water that had been in front of the cell. He made sure the spite was extra painful, being an intruder casually strolling through the castle. Next he dangled the keys in front of the 'king' one last time before dropping them in the river, "There, now you're just in a cell all alone. How incredibly heartbreaking. Oh, I have an idea! Since you're locked up, how about we swap places and I be king of this castle? As my first order, I generously award you the land in your 'll give you plenty of space and time to think about what you've done." Akira smirked, smirked and smirked even more, eventually leaving, having had enough fun. He made sure his new blonde friend stayed far, far away to not hear their one sided conversation.

"What _was_ all that just now?!" Ryuji asked the biggest question, after his friend got back to him, "and your clothes…"

"Good question," Akira said as he heard what sounded like the clinging of various knight armors, signaling their rapid approach, "let's figure it out when we're _not_ trapped in a dungeon full on things that want to kill us. But they do look good on me I admit."

"You bastards think you can get away with doing this to me!?" Kamoshida shouted as the two boys gracefully and poorly made their leave. _"We already have…"_ Akira thought to himself as the shadow let out a series of angry curses, wishing to damn the two for the rest of eternity. By the time he was freed by his knights, fixed his face, the two of them were already long gone.

…

" _Where oh where could you be?"_ Souji pondered singing a little whimsical tone to himself, drafting through the crowded streets of Tokyo. The large metropolis may have had a sizable population and large sprawling urban areas, but Souji had been using and studying the compendium for a very long time now—he should have no problem sensing any persona users in his area. Still, the aura he felt, felt off, it was a strange one. It was there, yet… faint. It was there, yet at the same time it felt like it wasn't. Perhaps he was here in Tokyo, but he wasn't in this plain of existence. He himself had go through multiple trips to the TV world, so maybe this new Wild Card was in something similar? In that case, he was going to need to figure out what it was and how to get there.

There was one more question on his mind: has this new Wild Card been warned about him? From what he could gather, Margaret hadn't been to the Velvet Room for a while, instead opting to remain in the human world to find him and get her compendium back, her sister—Elizabeth was it—was off trying to bring some blue-haired emo back from the dead, and who the hell knows what her brother was doing. According to the compendium, he also had another friend in that room, but… for some reason he didn't really remember her, not that it mattered anymore.

Then again, these people were known for keeping secrets. They had to have known. They _knew_ about Izanami the whole time, but they left him to the wolves. If it weren't for them keeping their damn mouths shut, then… then…

" _Don't give up…"_

"Tch," Souji pushed those whispers into the back of his mind as he kept getting closer and closer to where he felt the Wild Card's presence. The crowd around him was mellowing out now, and he could make out a small, cramped alley in the distance.

…

"Damn, the bridge is out!" Ryuji cursed as they hit another dead end. The only way forward was the bridge, but right now there was no way visible way to lower it. The giant wooden contraption was their only way across the chaotic waters below. But instead of it being lowered like a drawbridge should, it was chained up above, so its crossers couldn't reach it.

"There's gotta be something we're missing," Akira said, his eyes racing, trying to find a solution to their predicament. His first thought was to jump in the stream, but he had a feeling his energetic friend wouldn't agree to that, even if he pushed him. Kamoshida had to have a more safe way to get across when they're on this side of the dungeon.

"Hey, you two," an frail voice sounded from an unknown cell. "Blondie, Frizzy Hair, over here!" The two turned to the direction of the voice's origin, in an attempt to locate the owner.

"W-W-What is that thing?!" Ryuji jumped, frightened by the sudden talking cartoon cat in the cell. Could this be another enemy? His reaction was a combination of shock, mild bewilderment, and fear at the odd creature in front of him.

"You're not soldiers, right?! Let me out of here!" The little plushie begged. Its small white appendages grabbing onto the rusting bars of its jail cell, in a form of desperation.

"Is… Is that a talking cat?" Akira rubbed his eyes, not only could he summon a giant monster at will now, but also talking cats were a thing. "Wait, are you Doraemon?"

"I am NOT a cat!...Or whatever you call a Doraemon!" The not-a-cat retorted, obviously taking offence to being called a feline, or a Doraemon.

"Fine not-a-cat, I'll let you out…" the raven haired boy shrugged, as he grabbed the cell keys that were hanging on the wall. He reached out for the keys next to the cell, when he stopped.

"Wait," Ryuji pleaded and Akira briefly stopped for a moment, "don't you think you're being a little too trusting?! We don't know anything about this thing!"

"You're right, "let's go ask the _knights_ how we can leave." his friend retorted, brimming with sarcasm and snark.

"W-Well uh…" Ryuji turned to the anthropomorphic creature, "do you know the way out of here?"

"Yes, I can show you where the exit is! Let me out and I'll show you!" The faux feline begged again, in exchange it promised to help the two escape from the castle. The cat was offering a convincing deal to the two.

"And thus, I rest my case," Akira smiled before unlocking the cell door, opening it, setting the not-cat free.

"Aah, the taste of freedom is so great." The cat jumped out of its cell, stretching its little arms, taking a large inhale of the foul air in the dungeon. The fluffy creature was happy to be outside again.

"Hmm," Akira hummed to himself before crouching down to scratch the top of the soft fluffy figure. He figured the faux cat would have some kind of mechanism to it, but he found none through his constant petting. So talking animals do exist "Wow, it's really soft… and alive."

"H-Hey, stop that!" The creature protested, "Or else I'll… I'll…" before it could finish its threat the cat began purring and meowing as Akira continued his relentless assault upon the its fur.

"A-Are… Are you seriously petting the cat?!" Ryuji backed away, horrified at Akira's indifference to danger, that cat could be the mastermind behind this all along, if he had any guesses.

"I was curious what it'd feel like." Akira gave a proud huff, but even his constant petting wasn't enough to stop the cat from breaking free in a fit of rage.

"I am NOT a cat!" The 'not-a-cat' corrected him, "I am Morgana!"

"All right Morgana," Akira stood back up, "how do we get that bridge down?"

"Ooh, easy," Morgana ran to one of the large statues of Kamoshida next to the bridge, "see this statue? Pull on its mouth." the faux cat gestured with its little hands to where they should pull.

"Uh… okay?" Akira was a bit confused, but proceeded to yank down on the statue's mouth somehow causing the stone to seemingly stretch and the gem-eyes to glow before the bridge lowered itself.

"H-How were we supposed to know to do that?!" Ryuji complained, outraged at the drawbridge's mechanism. If it weren't from the hint from Morgana, they could have never figured it out on their own, no normal human could.

"Ugh, that's the point you dimbo!" Morgana berated, for what seemed like the obvious solution to the puzzle

"Why you little…"

"I hate to break up you two lovebirds, but…" Akira gestured to the other side of the bridge where a group of knights were gathering in number, glaring at the three.

"Oh shit, it's them again!" The former track star panicked, he was not ready to face those things again, not after the first run with Kamoshida.

"Tch, amateur!" Morgana mocked before jumping off the statue, landing beside Akira in a battle stance. "You, you can fight right?"

In place of a response, Akira smirked, twirling his right hand, manifesting his weapon in a flamboyant manner, like a stage magician performing a magic trick. And for his grand finale to his murderous audience, he forcibly ripped off his pearly white mask to reveal a plume of azure dropping to the floor, calling forth blue pillars of light, quickly forming into the familiar shape of Arsene.

Similarly, Morgana summoned a sword that he somehow held in his paws. Rather than using a mask, the faux feline looked up and exclaimed, "Come Zorro!" forming a dark muscular figure dressed in heroic clothing, complete with his own cape and rapier behind him. Accompanied by arrival of this new spector, came an unrivaled gust of green wind that knocked back its enemies.

The two knights having no other choice morphed into two separate beings. One was the same Jack-O'-Lantern that had Akira had faced before, an incubus or akin to one judging by the figure's rather provocative appearance.

"Get ready," Morgana warned, raising his sword "here they come!"

…

" _Where the hell is he?"_ Souji surveyed the area after getting a whiff of the Wild Card's presence. The small alley before him was devoid of all human presence. He _should_ be here, but he wasn't! He had expected a television set or a portal that would transport him to wherever this other Wild Card was. Instead, it left him wondering around at another dead end. Did this place have some sort of gateway? Was there any unusual flux in reality he could take advantage of? That's unlikely given how… ordinary everything was. There wasn't anything here that could pass as a gateway here. He even tried one of the TVs out of curiosity, but it yielded disappointing results and earned a few strange looks to say the least. He was never doing that again.

Then a thought came to him, something he'd missed, yet never thought of looking for, before. Was it something that the Wild Card currently possessed on him that allowed him to travel to another world? In that case, there was no way he'd be able to get there. If that was the case, then he needed to get closer to them to know his or her method of travel.

"Dammit," Souji cursed, locating this new user was going to more of a hassle than he'd originally thought. To save his energy, he decided to find a good hiding spot near the alley. He planned to linger just a bit longer, to see if the other will show his or herself eventually. He was exhausted of all his other options, having no choice but to play the waiting game. He had waited years to find a way to fight back against the Velvet Room, he had years to find his replacement; he could wait a few hours more.

…

"How the hell are we supposed to get out?" Ryuji was frantic, was escaping their top priority, yet they were literally trapped with nowhere else to go. "There aren't even any windows!"

"Ugh, amateur…" Morgana groaned, "This is the most basic of basics!"

"Will you quit it with this shit?!" Ryuji yelled at the cat, "why won't you just tell it to us straight?!"

"Do I have to SPELL IT out for you?!" Morgana shot back, "what kind of moron are you?!"

"Knew we shouldn't have trusted you! What do we do now Aki—" Ryuji turned only to see that Akira wasn't where he was just a few second ago.

"You know, I was only _joking_ when I said you two were lovebird right," Ryuji and Morgana turned to the source of the voice and saw Akira sitting next to ventilation shaft after he had taken off the mesh, "you don't actually have to fight like you are."

"See moron?" Morgana took the opportunity to mock Ryuji once more, "good thing your friend has a good head on his shoulders."

"Tch, whatever—help me up!" Ryuji reached up, accepting Akira's hand, pulling him into the ancient air duct. It was a relief to know they still had their heads attached, after the run in with that strange Kamoshida. As Ryuji climbed through the vent, his friend looked back at the cat, "what're you gonna do?"

"I still got some things I need to take care of, you be careful out there!" Morgana said, sending them the two on their way.

"Sure thing," Akira nodded before following Ryuji down the ventilation shaft. First they needed to run from this castle, then they could piece together what was actually going on, or so the boy hoped.

…

"Did we… make it?" Ryuji asked in between hoarse breaths, opening his eyes, trying to get a gasp of the area around him. He was half expecting the glare from an odd yellow eyed king, or his merry hord of armored soldiers. However, to his relief and sanity, they were finally back near what appeared to be a small alley next to his school.

Before Akira could respond, he suddenly felt something vibrate in his pocket, simultaneously causing him to look down and notice that his clothes had also gone back to normal. When he pulled his phone out, a feminine automated voice granted him "You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."

"Huh? Returned…" Ryuji repeated confused, looking over to the transfer's phone"does that mean we're back?"

"I… think so." Akira returned an equally baffled tone, trying to figure out what it meant by 'real world.' If what they went through wasn't reality, then what was it? If Ryuji hadn't been there experiencing everything with him, he would've sworn that he gone insane from his transfer to Tokyo. For now it was better if they got out of this shady alley, and confirm if they really were back in the real world.

"What the hell was all of that!?" Ryuji announced out loud in broad daylight to the world. His exclamation in shock was not welcomed well as Akira saw a few heads turn in the street and capture the attention and imagination of the people around them… like two aggressive police officers.

"What are you yelling about?" One of them asked before taking a good look at their attire, normal black dress coat— with the Shujin academy logo on the breast pocket. "wait, are you two from Shujin? Cutting class are we?"

"W-What… No!" Ryuji hurriedly defended himself, unknowingly digging them into a deeper rabbit hole, "We were on our way to school and ended up in some weird castle!"

It was at this moment that Akira immediately facepalmed. It was one thing to be in shock, but did he really think that the _police_ would buy that excuse? He just summon a giant monster after ripping a mask off his face, ran for his life, and met a talking anthropomorphic cat! Maybe Morgana _was_ right, maybe him was a moron.

The officer furrowed his brow at the blonde who ranted on like a mad man, this kid to the officer, sounded like a druggie "What're you—hand over your bag, you better not be on any drugs."

"What? Of course not!" once again, Ryuji defended again, he was not that kind of person. "I'm telling you that—" He didn't know when to stop, until his new friend intervened by stepping between him and the officers.

Akira sighed before he began to explain, "You see officers, I just moved here a few days ago so I don't really know the area yet. I was supposed to take the train to school, but considering the accident earlier me and him ended up trying to get there on-foot," he then began to scratch the back of his head seemingly embarrassed, "thing is, he… didn't know the area as well as he thought he did," Akira let out a nervous laugh, "he's so embarrassed that he doesn't want to admit it to anyone. Can you just point us to Shujin and we can be on our way?"

One of the policemen sighed while the other muttered something about 'dumb kids.' Either they bought his lie. "Go straight back where you running from and you should see it after a few blocks. You can't miss it."

Akira thanked the policemen and before Ryuji could say anything else to screw this up, he grabbed his arm and began dragging him off, "come on, Ryuji. We don't want to be late now, do we?"

"Dude, what the hell are you doing?" Ryuji whispered, trying not to alert the cops. He was stilled annoyed at the two for their false accusations against him and Akira.

"Lying—I suggest you get good at it." Akira answered. He was just as unnerved at what happened as Ryuji was, but one didn't need to be an expert to understand that no one was going to believe in the madness that they were just in a castle moments ago… and one that was ruled by a pervy kin in pink laced underwear. "We can figure out what happened later, but for now we need to—"

Akira's words were cut off when he bumped into someone in front of him. He was quick to regain his balance, "Sorry, sorry," he apologized, "I wasn't paying attention."

The man was rather tall, with grey hair and eyes, along with a matching colored hoodie. Rather than give any voiced response, the pedestrian simply nodded in acknowledgment. Akira resumed his getaway, with Ryuji in toll, quickly being swallowed up into the dense streets of the metropolis. However, the man they meet stood still, burning the wild card's appearance into his mind.

" _So you're the new one?"_ Souji shook his head watching the two boys walk away. He seemed somewhat younger than even he was when everything first started, he felt sorry for the boy in a way. Not that that seemed to matter much, once one was marked by that damned room, they fate was sealed by destiny itself. Souji bit his lower lip. What is apparent is that he's still confused by everything, so he _might_ actually have a chance to get out of this alive—if he does as he's told.

After giving the two boys a reasonable distance, Souji began to silently walk in their direction. He made sure to melt into the sea of people around him, disguising his bitter presence with the city's own. He had to hurry.

…

"What the hell," were Ryuji's first words when they arrived at the castle was—only now it was a massive school building with a giant sign reading 'Shujin Academy' at the bottom, "this is where were just were, right?"

"Yup, this is the exact spot," Akira had half expected to be back at the medieval monstrosity again.

"But I'm sure that we came the same—what's goin' on here?" Ryuji scratched his head, comtepelneting if they were really seeing things or not. Nothing that had happened the past few hours made any sense and it only seemed to be getting weirder.

"That's exactly what I was about to ask you," A new voice joined the conversation. A counselor was also at the gate to see them arriving very, very late, "we received a call from the police."

"Damn cops snitched on us," Ryuji cursed, balling his fist in anger and giving the ground a light kick.

"And I see you're not alone this time," The staff member said, like a parent to a misbehaving child. He was waiting for his explanation, for why the new transfer had gone off with this delinquent.

Akira held up in arms as if he were surrendering to an enemy, "hey, I'm just a poor soul who got lost." Technically it wasn't even a lie—he _was_ lost in a castle for quite some time.

"What's this about being lost?" Another voice spoke before coming into view.

Akira could've sworn that Ryuji's eyes nearly popped out of his skull from the shock, he could see the blonde quickly tense up at the sight of this other staff member "Kamoshida?!" True to Ryuji's word, this was the same man that they'd escaped not too long ago. Only now instead of the kingly coat and crown, he had exchanged said attire for the Shujin PE uniform and his once yellow eyes were replaced by darker brown ones.

"Showing up so late? You've certainly gotten carefree Sakamoto," Kamoshida scolded the troublesome youth, crossing his arms "not at all like when you were on the track team."

"Shut up! You're the reason that—"

"You dare speak that way to a teacher?" This time the counselor spoke, finally having had enough of the boy's disrespect.

"Aah, crap." Akira groaned. When he first got out of bed this morning, this was not how he expected his day to go. First the two policemen, and now they had to deal with Kamoshida himself, along with another staff member. He was sure his criminal reputation will be anything but reinforced at the school board, after this encounter.

"Now, now, I should've chosen my words more carefully," Kamoshida unexpectedly calmed the counselor down. "Let's just say we were both to blame and let the matter go."

"Well, if you insist…" the counselor calmed, but didn't stop giving the two boys a stern warning, "but that doesn't change the fact that you need to come with me. You're both extremely late!"

"Say, you're the new transfer student correct? Akira I believe…" Kamoshida noted giving Akira a curious look. His blonde friend had already followed the counselor inside, "have we met?"

"Well, I was there when you picked that blonde-haired girl up in your car," Akira gave the most believable answer while faking a nervous chuckle, "Really wishing I accepted that ride though! Man, I can't even begin to describe how embarrassing all of this is."

"Oh right, now I remember," Kamoshida's eyes briefly widened, remembering the boy from this morning. Akira wondered how genuine the laugh that immediately followed was considering what his yellow-eyed counterpart was like, "Since this is your first day I'll overlook it, but just this once. I'm sure the principal's already warned you what would happen." before walking back to the building.

"Yeah, I understand," Akira sighed, loosening his posture when the gym teacher finally went away. _"Not to mention all the fighting I had to do to escape you,"_ Akira cringed on the was almost sure Kamoshida would morph back into his disgusting, kingly outfit, but was thankful he was wrong for once. Going up the flight of long stairs to his classroom, he realized it was probably best to act like a normal student and pretend he got lost on his way because he was a transfer.

Unbeknownst to either the student or teacher, a seemingly harmless bystander was listening to the entire exchange.

" _A castle…?"_ did he hear that right? Outside of Destinyland, there weren't that many castles in this area that he could think of. That all but confirms that they definitely went to some other world just like he had done years ago.

" _I wonder if anyone had any 'lacey unmentionables' on,"_ The twenty year old man smiled chuckling to himself. Wait a minute. Both the blonde and bespectacled kid seemed to watch their teacher Kamoshida rather cautiously. In that case, did that mean they've seen _his_ shadow? Wouldn't that mean that he'd be the one with…

"Blergh…" Souji widened his eyes, clasped his mouth with his right hand in a futile attempt to not vomit from the mental images that were quickly conjured up in his head, "oh god, why did I think that? Ugh, I'll never be able to un-seen that." He can already feel his stomach contents of the day beginning to swirl and bubble up, threatening to escape his esposhages. Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths...he almost choked.

Souji continued to cringe and push the cursed images to the back of his mind where they would _never_ be seen or heard of again. He'd rather fight Margaret and the Reaper with his pants down than ever think of that again.

At least now he finally knew the Wild Card's first name? That was something...

… No, it wasn't worth it. It'll never be worth it.

…

"Over half a day late on your first day?" Kawakami said in disbelief, "Can you explain yourself?"

"Well, first the train was delayed," Akira said, bobbing his head left and right with each point he mentioned, "then I tried going on foot and got lost, then my phone starting acting up so I couldn't use the map, then I ran into Sakamoto-kun who was complaining about something with his leg—all in all, this was not my lucky day."

"So you _were_ with that Sakamoto-kun." Kawakami concluded, drawing emphasis to the word 'that.' Her tone of voice abruptly changing at the mention of that particular student.

"Let me guess, trouble maker?" Akira theorized. It was pretty clear from earlier that he wasn't a favorite of the teachers', from his outbursts, to his his aggressive behavior, and the fact that he had dyed his hair blonde. How the teen was not kicked from Shujin was totally mystery to the transfer student.

"Just do yourself a favor and stay away from him," she let out a deep sigh. While he wouldn't call her inexperienced per se, she didn't seem to have been a teacher for as long as the other staff—and she probably didn't like the idea of having a student with a criminal record either. "Anyway, break's almost over. We should introduce you to the class."

"Lead the way, ma'am." Akira followed Kawakami out into the hall, where they passed by a crowd of chattering students. The group was rather big, with a diverse mix consisting of energetic first years, to the more mature upperclassmen. At first they paid no extra attention to their surroundings, seemly immersed in idle conversation, but as they got closer to him, everything came to a grinding halt. Each boy or girl passed the new transfer with either a degree of cautious fear, or fierce annoyance, upon the sight of Akira Kurusu in their line of vision.

"Do you think that's him?" A girl whispered to her friend, thinking the dangerous individual in front of them wouldn't hear.

"You mean the one in the rumors?" her friend replied, equally avoiding Akira's gaze.

" _Son of a—how the hell did they find out?"_ Akira's record was supposed to remain a secret to everyone but the school staff. How the hell did they hear about it? Did someone hear the staff gossip? Wait, maybe he was just being paranoid? Yeah, maybe there were just rumors about a transfer student before today that's all. Maybe they mistaken….That makes perfect sense, right?

"He looks normal though…"The Shujin transfer kept his cool while entering the classroom. He could feel multiple pairs of eyes scrutinizing his very existence, akin to a pack of hungry wolves. He knew they would devour him at any wrong move, any action that could confirm their faux theories, any actions that made him seem like he didn't belong, anything to get rid of the criminal scum would surely be welcomed. The whole experience reminded him of his sentencing in juvenile court and the piercing, accusatory gazes, held by its judges and jury, at the delinquent who had supposedly assaulted an innocent man.

"But he might slug us if we look him in the eye."Any optimism he might've had suddenly left. Somehow—be it a leak or someone overhearing something they shouldn't of—learned about his past.

"Settle down," Kawakami tried to quell her chattering class, "I'd like to introduce a transfer student: Akira Kurusu. Today we… had him attend in the afternoon since he wasn't feeling well." She turned to the student in question, "would you like to say something to the class?"

Akira nodded, taking the place of Kawakamii "It's nice to finally meet all of you, please take care of me in the future." He made sure to add in a respectful bow, as a sign of politeness.

"He seems nice, but I bet when he loses it," one of the girls seemed to shudder at the prospect of seeing the boy lose his temper. What would the deranged psycho be like if he did?

Kawakami continued, "You'll need a seat…" her eyes scanned the room ignoring the varying outlandish rumors and fear from her students, soon spotting an empty desk back by the windows, causing many who sat in the same area to rail back in disgust "that one over there should do."

Giving little more than a brief nod, Akira tried his best to block out the nasty comments. He made his way from Kawakami's podium to the empty desk, stopping for a brief moment hearing a familiar blonde-haired girl whisper something along the line of 'liars.'

"You again…" he eyed the girl before fully settling down into his seat.

"Did you hear that? Do they know each other?" a brunette nudged to her friend behind her, "Wait, did he hit on her before coming here?"

"That means she's cheating on him with Kamoshida." her friend narrowed her eyes.

" _Oops…"_ Akira couldn't help but shudder. Just one sentence, and now he's a love triangle apparently. How can someone as quiet as him get into so much trouble because of his mouth?

…

Once Kawakami had dismissed everyone from her lecture, Akira was eager to leave as fast as humanly possible. He was going to be getting an earful from Sojiro once he got back, and he's dealt with enough drama and strange events for one day. Walking through the halls, he unknowingly felt himself having double vision, his ears started to ring and adding to his sense of dread and nausea, his surroundings started to change and distort. Feeling lightheaded he placed a hand on his head, trying to keep himself steady, the teenager watched as the school around him began to forcibly warp into a strange castle. However his sudden feeling of panic soon faded, as quickly as it had just arrived, as everything slowly began to shift back to normal.

"Are you okay?" A voiced snapped him out of his daze.

Shaking his head for a moment to help get the woozy feeling out of his head, he turned to see his home room teacher, Kawakamii, "nothing, just a bit lightheaded is all. Something up?"

"It looks like people have already heard about you, but I wasn't the one who said anything." She said before groaning, "Ugh, why do I have to be the one to deal with this? Can't even catch one little break." sighing to herself of her incredibly bad luck, not was her life a living hell, but she also had to deal with this...juvenile delinquent.

"… Still here you know." Akira deadpanned. If she was going to blame or badmouth him, she could have least had some common courtesy of doing it two meters away from him.

"Oh, and about Sakamoto-kun," she quickly changed the subject, "try not to—" Before she could finish her sentence, the devil himself walked up to the both of them.

"Speak of the devil," Kawakami 'greeted' Shujin's local head troublemaker, "What do you want Sakamoto-kun? Didn't the police catch you skipping class?" she further accused.

"It… it was nothin'." Ryuji avoided the teacher's gaze and kept his voice low. Either he was beyond caring what anyone thought about him, or he was just as embarrassed over what happened as Akira was, but he just didn't want to make another scene.

"And I see you haven't dyed your hair back to black either," Kawakami pointed out. It was a rule that students weren't allowed any sort of dyed or decorated hair beyond the basics, anything seen as distracting or rebellious was strictly forbidden.

"Sorry 'bout that." Ryuji sighed, and seemed to be ready to walk away but not before leaning towards Akira and whispering, "I'll be at the rooftop." Leaving the other in the hallway with Kawakamii who also soon left after. The boy decided it wasn't good to stay in one place for too long, incase he wanted to fuel the rumor mill of even more suspicion. Pushing up his glasses, he could already spot a few students eyeing him unpleasantly as if he were a pile of radioactive garbage.

Walking up the steps, he picks up on a conversation Kamoshida and the principal, "why did you let a person like him attend? He's already begun associating himself with the likes of Sakamoto." Kamoshida protested, there should be no room for criminal scum in this building, "a student with a criminal record and the culprit of an assault case. I'm not sure if even my contribution to the school will enough."

"Now, now, you're the school's star Kamoshida. All of us are counting on you," the principle assured, "still, a steady build-up is necessary behind such brilliance as well."

Akira did himself a favor and tuned the rest of the discussion out. Two things became clear: Kamoshida was a highly valued member of the school staff, and that staff, like his classmates, already passed their judgments before him.

" _It's nice to be wanted."_ Akira smiled bitterly, reaching rooftop where Ryuji made himself comfortable with a single chair, sitting lazily. "Sorry for callin' you here like this," he started the conversation off with an apology.

"Nah, it's fine." Akira shrugged, he choose a long forgotten desk that had been left on the roof to lean on "heard you're not very popular around here."

"I could say to you," Ryuji pointed out, "so you're the one with a criminal record? No wonder you were so gutsy."

"Hey, I just have one assault charge on a drunk guy," Akira lifted his arms gesturing to all his five uncut fingers and feigned a pout, "not like I'm a member of the yakuza or something like that, heh" There was a short laugh between the two of them, but it quickly died down as the reason they met here came to both their minds.

"Let's not beat around the bush," Akira said, "you're here to talk about that castle right? I dunno what the hell happened either."

"But you remember it right?" Ryuji asked, asked for confirmation that he hadn't completely lost his mind?

"Remember seeing Kamoshida in pink underwear, ripping a mask off my face, summoning a giant monster, a talking cat, and knights that transformed into monsters and our near death experience?" Akira listed pretty much everything that he remembered that happened during their time in the castle, "Yeah, I remember that pretty well."

"Yeah, well thanks," Ryuji leaned back in his chair and placed his leg on one of the other abandoned desk, "dream or not, you did save me from Kamoshida."

"Speaking of which," Akira leaned further back into the desk, "I get the feeling there's some bad blood there, yes? Mind if I ask what's going on here?"

"He's some asshole medalist who took the volleyball team to the nationals so no one says anything against him," Ryuji frowned, whatever grudge he held against Kamoshida seemed to spark his ire again.

"So he's an asshole who feels that he can do whatever he wants in the school?" Akira repeated, "In other words, he thinks he's the king of this school, just like that castle huh?". "Thanks for the warning," Akira yawned as he stood back up, "I should probably get back home now. My caretaker is going to murder me for being late. Hopefully the criminal doesn't end up becoming a homicide victim by later tonight."

"Wait, about that castle…" The teen stopped for a moment and turned to Ryuji who instead shook his head, "Nah, never mind. There's prolly some explanation for it. See ya around."

"Later then," Akira gave one last farewell before leaving. As far as first days of school went, he can definitely say he wouldn't be forgetting this one.

…

A soft, golden light illuminated the half empty train cart, giving it an otherworldly air. Unlike the energic Tokyo mornings, where salary men would eagerly pile on top of each other during rush hour. The train was now mostly empty, occessnially seating the odd pedestrian.

The bespectacled boy sat in deep thought on the train heading home. _"What was all of that?"_ Ryuji was probably thinking the same wherever he was now. It's not like he could even say someone drugged or knocked him out, since both parties had identical memories of the same event. Which means he could only come to the conclusion that the castle was real, now matter contradictory or absurd his experience was. But if that were true, then that would mean accepting the existences other worlds, talking cats, Arsene, and magical powers. Akira could feel the formation of a small migraine. What was it that Morgana called those knights again? Shadows? What the hell were shadows supposed to be? Was that yellow-eyed version of Kamoshida also one of those 'shadows'? Speaking of which, what was that thing that he summoned? It called itself Arsene and Morgana identified his as Zorro. He could've sworn he heard Morgana refer to them as 'personas', he need answers….fast. Soon, he was broken from his intense musings by a brief announcement that the train had finally arrived at his destination. Unzipping his school bag to fish out his phone, as he did, he began to make his way back to the LeBlanc cafe.

Akira strolled along the quiet city streets, still immersed in deep concentration, processing the bizarre events that had transpired on his first day of school. When he felt a strong pull from his right arm, alarming the boy, forcibly dragging him against his will "Let's have a chat." A deep, male voice, whispered in a low, threatening tone.

"Whoa, what the—" suddenly, Akira was pulled into a dark alley and—having lost his balance—fell to the ground. The teen quickly looked behind him and saw a tall man in a grey hoodie—The same man he had bumped into earlier in the day.

"What do you want?" Akira asked as he turned his body around so that his back was facing the ground, deep down, he was expecting the worst "If you're looking for money, I don't have—"

"Do you really think I'd target a student if I wanted money?" Souji asked as he shook his head, "No, in fact, I'm here to warn you."

"What off…?" Akira carefully picked his words, the last thing he wanted to do was to set this dangerous hoodlum off and get mugged or have his body sliced up and dumped into a river somewhere. Statistically, Japan was, and is a pretty safe country, however to every crime statistic there will always certain exceptions. He could feel his body tense, and go into a stress adrenaline induced state. There was just something not right about this man. The vibe he gave off felt wrong, very wrong. Of course, Akira didn't know what the man was about either, but he assumed it was probably something he didn't want to be a part of. He was just blocking one part of the alley, if he moved quickly enough…

"Don't even think about it." Souji warned, but Akira disregarded the warning and took off as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

He didn't know who this guy was or what he wanted with him—all he knew was that he had to get out of there as quickly as possible. Just a little further and—

Suddenly, a massive figure hidden in the darkness appeared in front of him, driving what looked to be a polearm with an obsidian blade into the ground in front of the raven-haired boy, forcing out a small quake, just potent enough to stop his movement and ideas to a screeching halt. The figure was already cloaked in darkness, but it was to even harder to discern any details due to its shadowy appearance, obscured amongst the shadows.

"I believe you're already familiar with personas, right?" Akira looked swifty turned and saw Souji leisurely close the distance between them, walking casually, akin to someone taking a light morning stroll, "Summoning in the real world—takes a lot of practice, but it has its perks."

"All right, I'm listening..." Akira said, hoping to god that this guy was serious about this being only a warning. The boy greet his teeth, in part of fear and in part of frustration. He knew if the man decided to kill him right here, right now, then he'd be completely powerless stop it.

"My warning is simple," Souji said as he recalled the persona he had summoned, making this seem as if they were just two normal people talking in an alleyway, "don't do it."

"Don't do...what?" Akira asked, hoping for a clarification. Was this some sort of code? Was the man not allowed to fully elaborate on his vague message? Hell, can he be handed a guidebook with hundreds of pages explaining why not? Akira was fighting for his life here.

"Everything you just went through," Souji answered, "I'm sure you've gotten acquainted with Igor by now, right?"

"Wait, you know about him?" During Akira's first day in Tokyo, he awoke in a blue prison cell with twin wardens known as Caroline and Justine with the supposed master of the place being a long-nosed man called Igor. He thought he was just having a weird dream, but in light of everything that's happened…

"So that's a yes," The man sounding not surprised in the slightest. "He's going to push you into continuing down the path of using personas, maybe try to coax you into solving a mystery or two—don't do it. He's just using you."

"The hell are you talking about? Who the hell are you?!" Akira took an unconscious step backwards. The boy had finally had enough, he felt like he was at his limit with all these weird, out of context and vague explanations.

"I was you about four years ago," Souji answered, "I know what happens at the end of your path, and it's just going to end with everything falling apart around you. Don't misunderstand me, it won't be doom and gloom all the time—just the very end where it matters the most."

"Look, I didn't ask to be a part in any of this," Akira raised his arms as he tried to look as unthreatening as possible, "I'm just some unlucky guy who doesn't even understand what's going on!"

"Keep it that way," Souji smiled, this might actually work. "Forget what happened today and live out your life as a normal student. Forget what Igor tells you. Forget about personas and shadows. Just be normal…."

"And if I don't?" Akira wish he didn't he'd shut his mouth, but he always loved dancing with death.

Souji turned and began to walk away, "then when it all goes to hell, remember that I gave you an out." Not even stopping to see how he'd responded, Souji just kept walking away until Akira was left alone in the alley with nothing but his thoughts.

Akira let out a long sighed, after man left the air around him returned to normal. However his legs suddenly felt weak like they were made of jello, and he collapsed onto the floor. For a moment there, he thought the guy was going to have his persona tear him limb from limb in the most gruesome ways possible.

"Goddammit," he cursed as he rubbed the back of his neck bitterly, "what the hell have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

 **Jesus fucking Christ, I never realized how heavily scripted P5 was until I started this chapter. I don't even have any jokes right now! I'm too exhausted from everything! Hell, you guys might be reading the shorter version because I've written my portion of the AN/s before my co-author can tidy the chapter up! I'm going to go take the longest, greatest fucking nap in the whole world after this. Holy fucking shit…**

 **Also, apparently the FeMC from Persona 3 is semi-canon now with the release of the PQ2 trailer. Holy shit, that makes DFW's romance kinda weird now since it's pretty much selfcest now... Eh, who cares? That didn't stop me or any of the shippers before.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Gilgamesh: This is probably going to be a shitty joke, but I have to ask: what was it like being Dante's Devil Arm?**

 **smack77721: We'll see. Maybe, maybe not; maybe I know, maybe I don't… I don't really know, stuff changes behind the scenes too much for me to give a definitive answer.**

 **Raze Olympus: You mean the most useless party member in the game? The one with those insta-kills that never hit (unless your ENEMY uses them of course) and spells with a high SP cost that is made worse by the fact his SP bar wasn't made larger to compensate?**

 **Guest: I wasn't mean? Was I mean? I don't think I was mean. Anyhow, I don't think you'd be that nice to a person who randomly drags you into an alley, hides their face, and summons a persona on you.**

 **GaoGod: I get it. No sarcasm, I get it. Although to be fair, Souji doesn't know anything about Yaldabaoth yet. I think we can't avoid giving spoiler warnings; the game's been out for over a year now.**

 **Jesus, it won't be long until I have to go back to high school, which means I'll be lucky if I get five hours of sleep. Who the fuck thought it was a good idea to start school at 7AM (which means getting up at 5/6 to get ready)? Whoever it was, fuck you... Fuck you so much.**

 _ **WES: No kidding Grim, going back sucks. Wish summer was longer….Anyway the chapter 4 is finally out guys! Lol The first part feels like a creepypasta.**_

* * *

Souji cursed himself, hopelessly tossing and turning under the covers. Feeling drained he took a slow deep breath, sucking in all the air he could to fill his lungs, then pushing it all out, in an endless cycle. He wished his insomnia would be over soon, yet it would be another sleepless night for him. However, even if he managed to draft of by some miracle he would be welcomed by her. Ever since he ran, ever since his sudden departure from Inaba, she would always be by his side, haunting him. Sometimes he would get a faint glance of her frail form from his peripheral vision, and others, when he closed his eyes she would greet him with her sweet, soothing angelic voice. And every time, he would recoil in disgust and struggle to crawl his way back to the waking world. Of course, he tried avoiding her altogether by forgoing his sleep cycle but he had, had enough nights without sleep, enough to take a massive toll on his physical condition. And that's why he would sleep and face her once more.

 _"Big bro…"_ It was that same voice that he remembered calling out to him like a mantra. The skin on his arms started to crawl and wrath. He could feel a cold shiver spreading down his spine, freezing his whole body in place. Here we go again he thought. The voice always started out as if the source was far away leaving nothing but a distant echo as it continued to call out to him.

 _"Big bro…! Come on out!"_ And then it would get louder and the source would draw closer. Over and over she would mock him. Over and over she beckoned him to come to her, driving him further and further into madness as it just kept continuing without any signs of stopping. The thing just kept repeating itself. One sentence overlapping the other soon meshing together, forming a cacophony of high pitched sounds that threatened to pierce his eardrums.

Souji jointed awake in shallow breaths, briefly opening his eyes, revealing nothing but the dark room of his apartment. In contrast to the pandemonium of his dreams, the only sound that could be heard was the muffled chatter of pedestrians from the other side of the plastered walls—all of them going about their business blissfully unaware of his existence or suffering.

"Dammit," he shook his head, trying to relax in his bed again, glazed in a streak of cold sweat that lined his face and neck. Almost as if he doubted himself, he scanned the room, frightened gray eyes locked onto each area one more time to be sure that it was empty. Taking note of every little detail, he continued until he saw it. There, sitting in the corner barely visible to the naked eye, was a small figure curled up into a ball slowly rocking back and forth. Its face shrouded in the darkness, however Souji knew it was watching him, observing his every breath. From his alarmed dilated pupils, to the smaller, more delicate movements of his body as it inhaled and exhaled to keep its host alive. Although the distance between them made it hard to make out details, Souji knew that the figure currently sitting in front of him was that of a young girl that couldn't be any older than six years old with pigtails so short that he could barely see them from.

 _"Big bro…"_ Souji immediately shut his eyes for the second time. All he had to do was close his eyes and wait for it to go away—it always went away eventually. Repeating this to himself, he became dead silent only letting out the smallest of noises. While his entire body remained still, his heart betrayed that stillness with its increasingly harsh rhythm, speeding up each minute he waited in the darkness. Soon his own heartbeat was loud enough to drown out bits of the malevolent entity. Keeping his eyes shut tightly, Souji could do nothing but focus on the sound of his heightened heartbeat, blocking out 'her'. He swore he could feel the weight of the figure pressing against his chest, lessening his breaths, its empty pupiless gaze still piercing into him and its breath against his face. He'd been through this so many times, yet it never got easier. He constantly had to fight the urge to tremble and nausea.

 _"Big bro... mommy Izanami is calling you..."_ And then the sweet, sweet sugary voice would say. Then, its sugary facade would melt into a deep, low growl of the thing he hated the most—even more than anything involving the Velvet Room. Whereas he hated Philemon and Igor for hiding the truth and using him to do their dirty work until his life fell apart, she was the one who set everything in motion.

Suddenly, it all stopped. The room he was in became quiet again, the weight he felt on his body was instantly lifted, and the breath he felt on his face was completely gone. The trembling he fought so hard to keep under control finally began to settle, and the irritation he felt in his stomach also began to lessen more and more as time went on. He could fully take in a deep breath hand on chest, letting out a sigh of relief now that the episode was over, he opened his eyes. Akin to all the other times before, now there was nothing. All that he could see now was a dark room with very little furnishing as a sort of testament to the short amount of time that he had taken up residence.

Letting out a long groan, Souji got out of bed and threw on a grey coat with an orange scarf. He needed to go out—he didn't care where; anywhere but here was fine. He didn't care if that meant staying up all night wondering the streets of Tokyo, or being forced to rent a hotel room down the block, he just couldn't stay here any longer. Before his hand could reach the doorknob to leave his apartment that was quickly transforming into his own personal hell, he heard something call out to him, "Souji…" it wasn't even one singular, echoing voice—instead, it was multiple distorted, broken voices speaking in unison… multiple _familiar_ voices. He couldn't stop himself in time. He knew something was wrong, very wrong, he knew he had to get away. But instead he felt his own body betray him and turn to his better judgement, force on him the most gruesome sight he would ever witness in his entire pathetic human lifespan.

Standing in front of him were all of his friends, but nowhere near how he recognized them. Their bodies poorly mended and swoon as one like some ugly conjoined beasts one would see on television. Their flesh meshed together and mangled with each other, their limbs each twisted and jumbled in ways which were humanly impossible to fathom, giving the monstrosity its own distinctive identity. Countless spots where the skin gave way exposed the various muscles, tendons, and organs that were never meant to see the light of day, some of which even dragged on the floor as the abomination moved. It looked as if something had torn them apart over and over again and tried dunking them into a melting pot, merging all of gross elements together into one big horrid mass of pulsating flesh and bone.

Souji coughed almost choking on his own vomit put his hand to his mouth in an attempt to control himself. What became clear was his futile attempt to escape this nightmare. Was this their revenge for leaving them? Was this what they wanted after he left Inaba for dead? The heads of Chie, Yukiko, Yosuke, Kanji and many others of his social links swayed methodically on the massive pile of flesh, now unable to answer his questions. A seed of regret began to sprout from his heart, but only briefly before it was crushed. He reminded himself of what really caused all of those he loved to be taken away from him, the velvet room. It was all because of them that he was here. All because of them—however, just like before with his realization, his thoughts of anger were too soon taken away from him at the fast approach of the large flesh monstrosity. Crimson red liquid mixed with other putrid wastes slowly began to seep out from the various pores of damaged flesh, all of which slowly began to flow in Souji's direction. The foul gases of human decomposition followed next, filling the apartment with a rancid smell of rotting eggs and sulfur. Stumbling back, the abomination began to drag itself closer causing various chunks of meat to simply fall off before immediately fading with maggots and flies squirming and crawling from the rotten tissue. The walls began to crack and fall apart as well as even more ichor began to gush out and join the main pool of blood that was continuing to flow closer and closer to where the petrified man stood.

Souji could only keep backing up with each painful step, until he felt his back hit something. The door, he just needed to open the door and he could escape this hell. Yet, no matter what he told himself he just couldn't look away from the monster that just kept moving towards him as it fell apart more and more. The most he could do is let his shaking hands fumble around trying to grab the brass knob. The thing that wore the skin of his old friends began to extend one of its gross peachy appendages that one could only assume was meant to serve as an arm. Even doing something as simple as moving a limb looked unnatural as the various bones seemed to snap, crackle, and pop at various joints. A large mass of skin at the bottom of the 'limb' just seemed to fall apart causing a bucket's worth of blood to fall to the ground alongside various other parts of the human body that he didn't even know the name of. Just before that thing could touch him, Souji finally felt the doorknob within his hand. Without hesitating even for a split second, he swung the door wide open and practically threw himself out so hard he even impacted with the wall of the hallway. Looking back at the doorway, he saw nothing there—nothing that would be out of the ordinary at least. The abomination made from the corpses of his friends had vanished without a trace, the blood was no longer there, and there were no cracks on any of the walls to be seen. Despite this, Souji continued to tremble as he slowly reached out before shutting the door as hard as he could, afraid something may appear and grab him. He looked down and saw the blood/ichor beginning to pool towards him again and something scratching the wooden surface like an animal. "Souji, she's waiting for you," the voices all called out to him, "we're all waiting for you…"

Shaking his head, Souji left the building as quickly as he could without drawing any more attention to himself than he already had. All of this only served as another reminder as to why he hoped that kid headed his warning—lest he end up exactly like him, or worse.

"Hope you listen to me kid," Souji mumbled, walking out into the city streets, choosing to wander aimlessly to clear his mind from the literal monstrosity he just witnessed. Soon he came across a random restaurant he didn't even care to remember the name of and ordered something to eat. How many years had it been? Three or Four years now? Ever since then he's been hunted by Margaret, haunted by… _her,_ and going from place to place whenever/however he could. He wondered if this new Wild Card was going to share his fate too. "No," he put a hand to his head, running through his hair in frustration. He wasn't going to let that happen.

…

When Akira opened his eyes he was not greeted by the sight of his room, but rather that of a cramped cell with the walls and floor colored alike, with a deep shade of velvet. In the center of the room was its master calling himself 'Igor,' and standing in front of his cell were two little girls, one having her hair done in buns while the other had it tied in a long braid, those girls being Caroline and Justine respectively. Both possessed striking yellow eyes that suggested there was something supernatural about them, and their black and blue warden uniforms, along with their feel of power only added more to their mystic.

"About you've come to! On your feet, inmate!" Caroline bashed her baton against the rusted old iron bars, causing an unpleasant ringing sound to fill the room.

"Yeah, yeah," Akira sighed as he got off the cold hard surface that barely resembled a functional bed. Just like his previous visit here, he was in an old fashioned black and white prisoner's uniform complete with shackles and a literal ball and chain.

"Our master wishes to speak with you," Justine said, clutching onto the clipboard in her hands. Unlike her sister, she chose to deal with the inmate with a serene and eerie composure, which oddly reminded Akira a little of the soulless dolls one would find in an antique shop.

"I would first like to celebrate our reunion," Igor said. His voice was unnaturally and inhumanly deep, so much that Akira briefly shivered when the memory of that man that had given him a 'warning' just a few hours ago, "I see that you have finally awakened to the power known as persona, and what a special power it is."

"What exactly are you getting at here," Akira asked, his hands clutching onto the rusted black bars. It goes without saying what his so-called power was, but what exactly made him special? After all, a cat was able to summon one—he seemed like the special one here.

"You will see soon enough," Igor gave what was definitely not the vaguest answer possible before his lips curled into a large grin, making the long nosed man even more unsettling to look at, "now your rehabilitation can finally begin."

"About that, can you explain exactly what this entails?" his grip tightened, his eyes peering into the master. Could anyone give him a straight answer? If he was going to be thrust into a situation where he could literally be cooked to death, beaten to death, and more, then the least anyone could do was explain why!

"I trust you've taken notice of the Metaverse Navigator?" Igor continued without stopping, completely dismissing everything Akira said. "It will allow you to travel between reality and Palaces. Although, the task may be too much for a lone thief accomplish, so I will also grant it to others that I deem beneficial to your task."

"… You're ignoring me, aren't you?"

Before the question could be answered, a bell suddenly began ringing throughout the entire room. If this was anything like his first visit he got here, then that means that pretty soon Caroline is going to say…

"Time's up, inmate," Caroline wasted no time swinging her baton at the cell's bars again, causing the unfortunate inmate to take a step back, "go back and enjoy whatever rest you can get."

There wasn't even time to object. Almost instantly after he was told this, Akira's vision began to blur and darken as he was brought back to reality. It was probably going to be morning by the time he wakes up, which means he's going to have to get ready for school again… and listen to people talking about his non-existent criminal exploits.

…

Akira yawned as he stared out the window in the middle of class, completely zoning out his entire social studies lecture. He didn't really care about passing his exams anymore, because it was something he didn't really need. He used to study hard for his grades like most other Japanese teens his age, but now that the bespectacled boy had a criminal record, most reputable places would flat out refuse to associate with him anymore—his future's already screwed! There was little chance of him securing a well-paying job, even if he attempted to place first place at everything in his high school. He didn't regret what he did—his 'talk' with Arsene made that much clear—but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of the consequences he was going to have to live with for the rest of his life.

"Kurusu," broken out of his daze, Akira looked up and saw his teacher must've noticed his lack of attention, "The Greek philosopher Plato divided the human soul into three parts—appetite, spirit, and…?" Hmm, that's a tricky one. Philosophy was never a subject he cared much about, never mind Greek philosophy. Guts? No, that doesn't sound right. Love? Tempting, but something told him that wasn't what the Greeks would've thought. There had to be something that mankind in particular was known for…

"Logic," he answered firmly before turning back towards the window to watch the steady drizzle of rain outside, forming a thin, mist like veil around the school. It was almost hypnotizing to watch a barrage of droplets hit the ground again and again, as he observed through the glass. This was his only way of distracting himself from what he could call an unproductive class day; it also provided a calming therapeutic effect for the boy. Despite his boredom to the point of apathy when it came to what his education, Akira couldn't help but smile when he heard the teacher begrudgingly admit that he was actually correct—the instructor sounded like he'd rather swallow arsenic than say that again. After that the day continued like normal. There were a few of your typical whispers of teenage gossip, some of it being more rumors related to him, some related to a girl who was apparently stalking her clueless crush, and something about someone in charge of the school newspaper supposedly running out of ideas—nothing really worth noting. It wasn't long before Akira had gone back to looking at the wonders of nature.

The next few hours of school seemed to completely mesh together. Soon all his classes begin to feel the same and his memories started to deteriorate, leading to disjoined recollections of what actually transpired throughout the day. At some point the rain had finally stopped falling, but stubborn clouds still continued to hang over the sky, making still murky and grey. The inscribable weight that he felt on his shoulders ever since he came to this school remained, almost as if to remind him of how unwelcomed he was here—as if the terrified stares he got from everyone weren't enough. He couldn't even describe how happy he was to finally get out of the classroom when the bell rang. If this was what the daily lectures were going to be like, then he might actually go insane after a few weeks here. It wasn't that his last school was anything great either, but it was certainly more… homey.

Immediately after walking out of that dreaded classroom and towards the stairs, he spotted a familiar 'king' approaching a familiar blonde, "Hey there, Takamaki," Takamaki? Was that her name? He hadn't exactly been paying much attention, and she didn't seem to be the talkative type in class.

"Do you need a ride home?" Kamoshida offered, "It's been getting pretty dangerous with all those accidents lately." The offer sounded innocent enough. Takamaki gulped before responding to the teacher, "Sorry, I can't. I have a special photo-shoot that I can't miss." Judging from her response, she sounded like she was part of some sort of modeling job. Akira wouldn't be surprised; she had the looks that could easily rival most of the girls who attended Shujin. No wonder why many spread nasty rumors about her in the halls, they were most likely jealous of the poor blonde.

"Hey, being a model is fine and all," so she was a model, then why weren't there any boys going after her? "But don't overwork yourself. Didn't you mention having appendicitis?"

"Yes, I'm planning on going to the hospital, but so many things keep happening—one after another," it was obvious what she was trying to do now. He thought those rumors about her and Kamoshida were without merit as far as he was concerned, but… was there something else to this story? There had to be a reason why she was trying to avoid him, "sorry to worry you."

"You must be lonely, right?" Kamoshida asked which instantly caused Akira's eyes to narrow and his attention to become solely focus on listening to the exchange. Whenever he's heard this type of line whether it'd be in a game, movie, show, or book, it never ended well. "I kinda feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so much. That's why I asked you out in the first place," Kamoshida's glare shifted around seemingly at random—as if by superhuman feat, Akira felt the gym teacher's eyes bore into him, almost like the men had known of his presence at the start of the conversation, all the way to the end, "and be careful around that transfer student. He's got a criminal record, and if anything were to happen to you…"

He wasn't going to lie, despite what him keeping a straight face, Akira's heart started racing at the… unpleasant implications that were being made. He wasn't even sure if that comment was aimed more towards her or him. If it was him, then it was a subtle threat, implying that Kamoshida would use him as a scapegoat if anything happened to the blonde or any other student in the school. A false bullying report and accusations from the staff was all it took to push the problems off the school's back and onto his own. No one would bother to listen to the sad delinquent with a criminal record.

"T-Thank you," Even Takamaki seemed particularly bothered by that statement and was quick to make her leave almost immediately. Kamoshida watched her go, but the frown on his face and the look in his eyes that he continued to give Akira made it clear that this wasn't the end for either of them.

Taking the death glare as his cue, Akira walked down the stairs all the while avoiding eye contact with the teacher. As much as he wanted to do something after hearing that, he was also aware of how easy it'd be for Kamoshida to completely have his statement dismissed as nothing more than slander before having his expelled for it. No, he had to be smart about this—there had to be something he could do.

Arriving at the school gates, Akira spotted a familiar delinquent blonde waiting for him, "Yo."

"Yeah, Ryuji?" Of course, it wasn't hard to figure out what Ryuji wanted to talk about.

"It's that castle from yesterday," Ryuji sighed, sounding as if even he was a bit reluctant to talk about it but forced himself to do so in the hopes of finally understanding what had happened, "I just… I can't just pretend it never happened, especially with it being related to that bastard, Kamoshida."

"Tell me about it," Akira said pushing up his glasses, "I might just be paranoid, but I think he might have it out for me."

"And that's why I'm thinking we should go back there," Ryuji finally got to his point which caused Akira to suddenly tense at the idea, "I gotta find out what's goin' on in that place, no matter what. You're the only one I can rely on for this stuff, so," Ryuji extended his hand, "You in?"

"I…," Ryuji made a good point—from the little he had scene of Kamoshida, he certainly didn't seem the most… pleasant of people. Still, last time they went there they would have been killed if they hadn't run into Morgana. Not to mention, he'd already been warned—or rather threatened by a mysterious hooded figure yesterday. Was this really worth the risk of encountering the hooded individual again? If he ignored the warning would he come after him for a second time, and this time be more...forceful? However at the same time, if he just stands by and does nothing...

"In and out," Akira made his demands clear as day, "we go in, find out what we can, then we leave and avoid that place like the plague. Deal?" he made sure to hide his uneasiness around the Ryuji.

"Deal." The two boys agreed and shook each other's hands in agreement. "Anyhow, I'm going to check out the station. I mean, they've gotta know about the place too, right?"

Akira merely blinked in bewilderment the second he heard those words leave the boy's mouth. D-Did… did he really not get what was going on here? Sure, he's probably confused and is lacking the information Igor gave him, but still, _"Something tells me I just made a terrible mistake."_

"Wait a minute," Akira pulled out his phone. Igor mentioned a so-called 'Metaverse Navigator,' and there was one thing that he could speak of that might've matched that description. Swiping across the screen, he saw a strange app with its icon taking the form of some strange red and black eye.

"That's right! You had some sort of nav to help you get around!" Ryuji was partly right. This was a nav and Akira did remember having one up when he tried getting to school.

"Something like that," Akira decided to not explain right this second as he pressed the app and saw the options to either travel back to 'Destination– Kamoshida' or to add a new destination. Taking a quick glance around to make sure no one else was around to see this; Akira selected Kamoshida and felt the world beginning to warp around him.

Most of the surrounding buildings looked relatively the same if not slightly more shaded, even the smaller areas of cracked concrete or water stains were replicated with impressive detail and proficiency. Minus the multiple presences of Tokyo's day pedestrians, it was an almost spotless recreation of the city. However, despite the perfection displayed in the men made structures, the sky that had been monochrome just seconds ago was now a dark and black abyss akin to the midnight hour. Yet, that was not the most notable change compared to the school itself, morphing into a large rich European castle. A castle the two had previously encountered before.

"The school," Ryuji muttered before running right in front of the closed gate that separated the castle inhabitants from the outsiders.

"Yup, this is it." Akira confirmed slipping his phone back into his pocket. So, this was the 'Metaverse' Igor had been talking about? What exactly was this place and how was it connected to Kamoshida? The raven haired trickster mused to himself, gazing at the parallel world in awe.

"And your clothes," Ryuji finally pointed out Akira's sudden change of attire from his school uniform to the strange black magician outfit he had worn last time they were here, "that happened last time too, right?" the blonde was not sure what triggered the change.

"Yup," Akira nodded, pulling on the ruby red glove on his right hand. "Pretty cool, huh?" he tried showing off more of his Metaverse generated outfit, from the feel of it, it was made out of real solid fabric, something one could have in real life. Yet, this odd attire appeared on him the instant he entered the verse, as if by magic, an idea that felt hard to comprehend for the boy. Clothing fabric was a secondary material produced by man-made means, and clothing was even more of a hassle to make and tailor to his size.

Ryuji's eyes widened, giving the most surprised look he'd ever given ever since first seeing Kamoshida in the castle's dungeons, "you _like_ it?!" how could anyone say that so straightforwardly? They literally appeared from nowhere.

"Say what now," Akira frowned and balled his hands into fists, "oh screw you, I look awesome!"

"Stop making a commotion you two," the two Shujin students saw the familiar feline shape of Morgana heading towards them.

"Hey Morgana," Akira casually waved towards the small cat. Come to think of it, maybe Morgana might know exactly what was happening. It was a longshot, but it was better than doing everything in the dark. Apart from these new clothes, and Igor's vague introductions of the Metaverse, he knew nothing.

"Why are you two here?" it questioned the both of them in disbelief, followed by a tinge of annoyance, "Even with my help, you two barely managed to escape last time!"

"Maybe you could help us understand what's going on," Akira knelt down so that he was relatively eye level with the feline. "This place _is_ the school he and I attend, right?"

Morgana nodded in confirmation, "That's right."

"But, it's a castle," Ryuji was quick to point out the most confusing part in all of this so far.

"This castle _is_ the school, but only to the castle's ruler," Morgana tried to explain, but that only left more questions than answers.

"Ruler," Akira repeated. There was only one person he knew so far that might've matched that description, "are you talking about Kamoshida?"

Morgana nodded, "yes, this is how his distorted heart views the school."

"W-Wh-What?" it was pretty clear that Ryuji wasn't getting any of this.

"Ugh, I wouldn't expect a moron to get it!" and it was also pretty clear that patience wasn't one of Morgana's strong suits.

Before Akira could ask any more questions, a loud muffled scream came from within the castle's walls. From the lower sound pitch and tone, it likely belonged to a boy around the same age as them.

"What was that?!" Ryuji shouted, Akira too was startled, but chose to remain silent. They'd seen other people held in the dungeons when the two of them escaped, so was that one possibly one of the students down there. When they got out, Morgana claimed that they weren't real people, like how the school wasn't an actual castle. If the castle is how Kamoshida views the school… how does he view the actual students?

"That sounds like the slaves that were held captive here," Morgana answered, "he must've really been angry after the two of you had escaped."

"That sonuva," Ryuji hit the gate with as much force as he could muster. Disregarding all the strangeness of this place, it was very doubtful that one boy could actually do any sort of damage to the thing with his bare hands.

However, as another scream sounded from the castle, an idea suddenly formed in Ryuji's head. Turning back to face the raven-haired boy and the feline, he called out, "Hey, Monamona!"

Morgana instantly gave him a piercing death glare, "it's _Morgana._ " Akira did himself a favor and made a mental note to never make jokes about Morgana's name—it apparently took it very seriously. It was worse when once considered how the faux cat was the only one knowledgeable enough about the Metaverse to navigate through if safely. If the small cat decided to leave the two for dead, because they got on his bad side, well that could very well be a future possibility….

"Whatever, do you think you can bring us to where those slaves are?" Ryuji asked. If there were people who were still here, then he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

"I think I could guide you there," Morgana pointed to Akira, "but only if he comes too."

"And why's that?" he was curious of the cat's demands.

"I just want to have a better look at your powers," Morgana answered, not showing any signs of any malevolent intent, "besides, I'm pretty sure he's going to barge in with your help or not. You're not going to just leave him here, are you?"

"When did I say that?" Akira focused for a moment and the dagger that he had used before appeared in his hand. The same blue azure that had once saved him, welcomed him again. It was better to have it out now in case they ran into trouble.

"All right, let's do this!" Morgana lead the small team of three, as he jumped into the air. He certainly seemed like an energetic little fur ball.

"Akira, wait a sec," Ryuji walked to his friend and pulled out what looked like a small handgun, "I thought maybe you could use this? It only makes sounds, but we can still fake 'em out."

"Um… okay?" Akira wasn't exactly sure how that would help, but it was better than nothing. Accepting the gun in his free hand, he wasn't sure how he'll be able to use a model gun.

"Say, that gun _looks_ real, right?" Morgana said with an unusual mischievous glint in his eyes. "Maybe you should try it during our next fight." the cat seemed excited at the prospect of using the fake firearm, but for what reason?

"Didn't you listen to me?" Ryuji countered, "It doesn't even shoot pellets!"

"But this is a cognitive world," Morgana reasoned, "if it looks real, maybe it'll become real too."

"How does that make any—" Ryuji's words were silenced when Akira aimed the handgun into the air and fired off a shot, complete with smoke coming out of the barrel and a bullet being launched into the air. Additionally, the raven haired trickster silently noted the amount of recoil that would occur after each shot. This was his first time experiencing a fully loaded gun and he needed to time his movements each recoil since it delayed his arm movement a few seconds after. He was sure he will get used to this in time.

"It works—that's all that matters." Akira shrugged walking to the vent that had helped them escape the castle awhile back. "Let's get going. It's showtime!"

…

" _I think this is the place,"_ Souji arrived at an easily missable back alley coffee shop that he had never heard of before. In fact, it was so out of the way and tacked into its own little corner of Tokyo, he was surprised the place was still up and running. Judging from the homey decor and style of the little cafe, it appeared to be a family owned business that specializes in serving the local population, a far cry from the mega chains found in the heart of Tokyo. Outside it had a miniature blackboard display, detailing the specials of the day and their individual pricings, serving an abridged advertisement to the people of the area. Next to the board were an array of neatly arranged potted greens that helped contrast the shop's light maroon brick structure, with a covered window hanging just above, obscuring the inside of the small business. When he tailed Glasses before, he ended up here for the night and the same pattern repeated several times, with the boy emerging from the shop every morning. Did he actually live in the attic of this coffee shop? Looks like life was already somewhat ruff for the kid already, he didn't need any more bad luck from personas, or the Velvet room.

" _Leblanc cafe?_ " Souji quietly thought to himself, finally reading the full name of the shop. Then there's no harm in going in now, is there? Just act like an everyday customer and the owners will just forget about your face in a few hours. And if the Wild Card comes home he should still be safe, he kept his hood up, deepened his voice, and kept his head down during their last meeting. With this in mind, he pulled the handle of the glass door and walked into the small family business. When Souji entered, the first thing that immediately hit him was the sweet fragrance of traditionally ground coffee, the pleasant aroma quickly overwhelmed him, taking over all five senses of his body. He could almost taste the freshly prepared cups of brown liquid in his hand. Apart from the scent, the cafe from itself was indeed not very spacious and humble in size. Edging further into the shop, he spotted a middle-aged man behind the counter. The shop itself was relatively empty with one customer sitting at a table and another table having a single mug, with its owner presumably gone to the washroom.

Trying to keep his observations short and not draw any attention to himself Souji sat in one of the stools in front of the counter. "What'll it be?" The barista asked.

"Just a cup of coffee," Souji tried to sound as casual as possible. After smelling the heavy aromas of the shop, he had to try some. He wasn't much of an avid coffee drinker, but even he knew this was a good cafe. It was also better to get familiar with the other Wild Card's place of residence and guardian if he hoped to save him in the future.

"How do you want it?" The owner asked without facing him, supposedly busy cleaning the back cabinets.

"Um… Black?" For some reason, Souji felt like he was walking into a trap. He watched the older individual arrange some of the coffee containers.

"Heh," the barista chuckled, "don't try to act tough—you're not fooling anyone."

" _What the hell?"_ Souji thought as soon as he heard that. What kind of barista was he? "Okay, uh… cream?"

"Yes, ma'am," the barista agreed finally turning over to face Souji with a smirk on his face.

The older Wild Card's left hand under the counter began to ball into a fist as the barista kept egging him on, he had to keep his cool, "okay, how about cream and sugar?"

"What're you, a child?" The barista just had a counter for everything.

"Fine then," Souji groaned, "surprise me then why don't… you were just screwing with me, weren't you?"

The barista didn't even answer. He just smiled to himself before giving Souji a hot steaming mug. That was such a simple and easy trick, and he fell right for it. There were no words to describe how embarrassing that was. He was glad he had practiced his poker face, or else it would have been even more of a joke. Maybe younger Souji would have fallen for the whole thing and blushed.

"I've never seen you around here before," the barista noted, finally dropping whatever act he'd been using a few moments ago, something that Souji was very thankful for.

"Yeah, I just moved here a few days ago, I'm…," Souji paused for just a split second. It wouldn't be a very good idea to tell anyone who he really was. As unlikely as it was for the knowledge to end up backfiring, it still wasn't exactly something he was entirely comfortable sharing, especially with him being a runaway and Margaret still out there, "… Yu Narukami. May I ask for your name?"

"Sojiro Sakura," the barista answered. The older man's body posture was rather stiff, with some annoyed movements, enough for Souji to know something was bothering him. Extended social interactions and reading body language wasn't something he was used to having anymore, but Souji still remembered enough that he could get the feeling that there was something that'd been on his mind for a while now.

"You have the looks of someone who just made a choice they immediately regret," Souji did his best to sound casual as he took a sip of his coffee—the old cafe owner was scarily accurate, he had to give it to this guy, he was pretty good. He might actually become a regular as long as he stays here.

"Ugh, you got that right," Souji admitted, but didn't seem to want to go into any details. It looks like if he wanted to learn anything, he was going to have to try and dig a little deeper. There had to be something that could get him to talk. He had to think, what was something that would yield him some information from the men? Now that he remembered, wasn't the Wild Card and his friend confronted by the cops? Didn't he say that he had just moved here? If he had just moved in and lived in the attic, then there was one easy way to get him to talk more.

"I don't mean to pry but," Souji watched Sojiro carefully for any sign that he may have been crossing any lines or trending on thin ice, "I heard a rumor that some kid's recently taken residence here. I don't suppose that's what's on your mind, is it?"

"So it's getting around already, huh?" Sojiro gave a long sigh of defeat. His opinion of the kid wasn't too positive based on his defeated reaction at his mere mention, "Long story short, I took in some punk kid as a favor to his parents.

"I see," so their relation is just that he's his caretaker? Lady luck certainly didn't seem to smile upon the kid if he's being regarded as a 'punk' too. Souji will hold off on pressing for more info for now—he had to be careful not to seem too interested.

"Heh, let me know if he needs a tutor. I'm always available," He chuckled, making it sound like a shameless advertisement. If he wanted to get near the Wild Card, he needed a good excuse that will let him around high school aged students without being mistaken for a creep. Because he had no blood relations to the boy or any of his friends, it would be suspicious at best for him to be around the new Persona user constantly; therefore being a private educator was the perfect excuse. But it wasn't a full lie either as he's gotten around pretty nicely with one of his 'side jobs' being a tutor to kids with bad grades, despite the fact he's technically a high school dropout. The irony was not lost on him.

"I should get going," Souji quickly finished up his cup; there was now little reason to stay. He gave a typical goodbye and left without a second thought. He should head back to the apartment now; he couldn't sit out here forever. Besides, the little episode from earlier was over now. When he gets back, he should just be greeted by a bland and mostly empty apartment.

…

"Hurry it up, Ryuji," Akira rushed his new friend as he peaked out the corner.

Morgana had just led the both of them further into the dungeons where there were groups of students subjected to endless amounts of torture. The agony of the nonstop 'exercises' had taken massive tolls on the faux Shujin students. Red as their faces were and cruel and inhuman as their torture got, not one of them seemed to stop, or complain at their endless suffering under the king. Some desperately ran on a treadmill with a bottle of water serving as bait, and others were just strung up and constantly bombarded mercilessly by a stream of volleyballs. They weren't the real people, however, according to Morgana, these were the constructs of Kamoshida's cognition or rather, how he perceives the students. As Morgana put it, they're basically 'realistic dolls.' Yet they still had the real students' faces, so right now Ryuji was trying to memorize their faces so the two of them could confront their real world counterparts over what Kamoshida's been doing to them.

"Come on, we gotta scram!" Morgana did its best to keep its voice level as to not draw the attention of any of the shadows.

"Alright, I'm ready," Ryuji made one last mental note of the students before meeting up with the other two, "let's get going!"

"Follow me!" Morgana ordered and the two boys followed the feline out of the dungeon. They'd had a few close calls with the shadows before so the palace was on alert now, which was all the more reason to get out of this place as quickly as possible.

Rushing out, the group made it to the grand entrance room where they were greeted by Kamoshida with two royal guards at his side. The king of lust was standing confidently still, with his servants lined behind him.

"You two again?" Kamoshida raised an eyebrow, "and making the same mistake twice? Bah, you two are hopeless!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Akira waved off the insult accompanied by a small hand gesture, showing he wasn't interested in dealing with the king, "now will you please put on some pants? Or at the very least, wear a shirt? You might just actually kill a poor sap if you keep this up." Akira didn't know it, but he was right, a certain someone had tried to picture the underwear Kamoshida and barely came made it alive, and that certain someone was never unable to un-see his greatest mistake. Kamoshida smirked at the gall this lowlife must've had to order him around, "this is _my_ castle, remember? I can do whatever I want, to whoever I want, and whenever I want," he continued to show his complacent attitude, "it doesn't matter what plan the two of you may have, you're just wasting your time!"

"You're wrong," and just like that, Ryuji took the bait hook, line, and sinker, "I memorized their faces real good, you hear me! You're going down, you bastard!"

"My, how the star player of the track team has fallen," Kamoshida didn't even sound fazed. If anything, he seemed to be enjoying this. "You remember, don't you? The infamous 'Track Traitor' who acted in violence and ended his teammates' dreams."

"Ryuji, what's this about?" Akira asked. So there was a reason behind Ryuji's hatred towards Kamoshida. What was it that happened and what was it that Ryuji did that led to the track team being shut down? The trickster would be lying if he said he wasn't interested, from what gossip was around his school, Ryuji used to be quite the respectable track star. Just what caused his fall?

"Oh, you're accompanying him and don't know exactly how he crushed his teammates' hopes and dreams with just one selfish act?!" Kamoshida made sure it was painful, extremely painful to hammer that point home. Let the world know Ryuji Sakamoto was a selfish failure of a person, now that he had finally made a genuine friend, "and now you're going to die just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time… how unlucky of you."

" _Tell me about it,"_ Akira thought as the shadows surrounded the three of them, bursting out from their armor and morphing from black piles goop into what looked like an equine creature with two horns. Judging by their temperaments, they were ready to run through the small group of three.

"Tch, we're surrounded," Morgana was quick to note that the shadows had essentially boxed them in, in a pincer formation, rendering them unable to escape. The team was caught at an lucky position and at a huge disadvantage, in both strategy and man power. Akira was sure he and the cat were able to pull their own weights, but his friend would be able to protect himself.

"I don't suppose you have any more tricks up your sleeve, do you?" Akira tensed trying to formulate an escape plan, as he and the cat were essentially back to back by the shadows. How were they going to take down such large animals, when it looked like one kick from the equines was enough to shatter one's ribcage and beyond?

"Not this time," Morgana answered. The shadows were stronger than either of their personas currently, and neither of said personas had any element that they were weak to. They could brute force their way and rely on endless spams of their respective elemental spells, but that'll only leave them defenseless later on considering how draining that'd be both physically and mentally. The two persona users were left pretty much helpless as the equine shadows charged at them at blinding speeds, ramming the two at full force, sending them a fair distance away. One single attack from shadows was enough to deliberate their foes and cause a nasty cracking sound during the attack. Before either of them could recover from the brute impact, they were pinned on their backs.

"I bet you came here on a whim, is that it?" Kamoshida began, his question being directed at Ryuji who was on his knees helpless. "You got so angry so quickly. Have you forgotten how kind I was when I supervised track practice?"

"That's wasn't practice, it was full on abuse!" Ryuji would suffer a thousand deaths before he gave that kind of admission, yelling with all his might "you just didn't like the team!"

"Of course not! The only one who needs to achieve results is me!" Kamoshida stomped his foot into the ground to illustrate his point further, "and to think, if that one couch had never opposed me with a sound argument, I would've just settled for breaking his star's leg."

"I-I…" Ryuji greeted his teeth, unconsciously put a hand on his leg as he remembered the pain he felt when that bastard snapped it. Now, he could hardly run in general anymore and would walk with a limp for the rest of his life, and that's not even counting the fact that the track team was gone despite the fact that many of them were on their way to earning scholarships for their hard work.

"Tell ya what, I'll let you pick which one goes first," Kamoshida offered a sadistic choice as the two shadows that had reverted back to their knight forms raised their blades. At this rate, all of them really would die. Akira could only watch the one sided trampling of Ryuji by Kamoshida.

"Ryuji!" Morgana called out, but was promptly silenced by the shadow pressing down on his back. The situation seemed helpless; no matter what they did they would die here, no matter what the boy's reaction was, they would perish here. The king had won by pinning down his enemies; there was no way they could escape. Then, a voice called out to him...

"So are you just going to let him win?" A simple, yet bold question was addressed to the blonde.

"What?" Finally snapping from his helplessness, Ryuji turned to where the voice originated from. It was Akira. From that moment on the room was eerily silent, even from the great king Kamoshida.

"You've been going on and on about how this bastard destroyed your life, yet when he talks shit about you, yet you don't want to smack him in the face?" he continued calmly, but his words seethed with droplets of loathing and anger. He was usually a composed person, but today was different; his previously bottled up anger had reached an impossibly high breaking point. As he spoke, the cool air around him slowly began to heat up more and more. As he spoke, the more he began to feel his own rage, at his own situation, at his own past. Akira was not going to sit there and watch his new friend crumble under like he did. Not after he fell apart, after a jackass had similarly crushed and taken away his own future. His court ruling, and new criminal record alone had left him a jumbled sobbing mess. And after, his entire school turned on him, his parents were ashamed of him, and all his friends had tried to push him away like they had never known him. Ryuji had been a star and possibly had a very bright prospect ahead of him as an athlete, but now that was all taken away by one single man. And now this same man was growing to tear his soul away from him too, "SO GET THE FUCK UP AND DO SOMETHING DAMMIT! DON'T JUST SIT THERE AND TAKE HIS FUCKING BULLSHIT!

"You're… you're right," Ryuji admitted, barely audible. He steadily began to regain his strength and rise to his feet, still weak, "he took so many important things from me… and I'll never get them back." He tightened his fists, his determination starting to grow. However, little did he know, the words of encouragement from his friend were not only addressed to him. But they were also the words Akira wished he had said to himself.

"Oh, boo-ho what a sob story," Kamoshida laughed maniacally, "go ahead, make me break your other leg to even you out. The school's just going to call it self-defence anyway."

"Shut up…" Ryuji muttered as he took a few steps closer towards the man he hated most. He was going to face his fears, he won't run anymore.

"Or what? What's a piece of trash like you going to do?" The king stared him down with his unblinking yellow eyes. His condescending attitude didn't seem to have any end.

"Shut up!" Ryuji snapped back at Kamoshida, "I'm sick of you looking down on me with that damn smile on your face!"

He won't be hurt anymore.

" **You kept me waiting,"** a deep voice sounded from nowhere.

He began to feel pain.

" **You seek power, yes? Then let us form a pact. Your name is already disgraced, so why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc?"**

It was only getting worse.

" **I am thou, thou art I… there is no turning back. The skull of your rebellion is your flag henceforth!"**

A grey skull like appeared on the boy.

"Hmph, and what can you alone do?" the shadow standing on top of Akira wearing golden armor to differentiate itself from the others asked as it raised it sword, about to behead his friend.

And then it happened.

Ryuji grabbed tightly onto the fixed mask and yanked it with much force was possible, tearing away the upper part of his face. He didn't care anymore, the pain was the last thing on his mind, every instinct in his body told he wanted to break free. And finally with a final tug, his skin gave away. What was under was a mess of gross crimson, but also the freedom to rebel he had longed for, for so long for! Accompanied by this new sense of being, wild azure flames shot forth chaotically and without regard, threatening to burn to crisp of anything around it. Unlike Akira's awakening where the fire had a flamboyant display, Ryuji's were wild and uncontrollable as a wild bull and scattered and shot forth erratically. A shockwave powerful enough to shatter glass emitted from the newly awakened user, as bold azure completely consumed the blonde.

Seeing his chance, Akira reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his handgun. The moment the winds began to die down, he took aim and fired at the shadow behind Morgana as the two of them went to join their friend.

When the light finally faded away, Ryuji was revealed to be wearing a black jacket with matching pants with knees guards, and bright yellow gloves. Above him was a ghost pirate like figure with a skull for a face, not too unlike his mask. It wore blue black pirate attire and sported a golden yellow canon for one of its hands. However, the most eye catching feature of all for this being was its own miniature charred colored pirate ship.

"Tch, damn brats," the golden shadow muttered before changing into a different form, this one being some sort of knight or soldier riding a horse with a spear in his hand. Joining their superior, two of the equine-esque shadow came in to act as support.

"Think we can take him, Morgana?" Akira smirked, seeing his friend pull through was enough to calm and lift his own spirits as well. Just a few seconds ago, they were literally at their mercy… but yet how tables have turned again. Lady luck was definitely on their side.

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Morgana returned, his cartoonish blue eyes locked onto the enemy. Then at Ryuji, who looked as if caution and retreat was the last thing on his mind. In fact the blonde was ready to take on the world if he wanted to.

Confirming Morgana's observations, Ryuji pointed at the shadow that could only be described as the 'Guard Captain' and ordered his new persona, "Blast them away, Captain Kidd!" Wielding his persona, Ryuji called forth what could only be described as a blast of pure electrifying might that shocked, torched, and burned through his foes. It was potent enough to paralyze and injure the two horned beasts and debilitated their captain.

"Morgana, two of them are down! Let's follow it up!" Summoning Arsene again, Akira had the gentleman thief drag its long sharp claws speedily on the pristine tiles of the floor. Flying into the air with absolute grace, the Persona dug in its massive claws violently slashing the shadow with each blow. The first strike cut off its horns, the second sliced through the body like a soft boiled egg and the third gouged out the eyes of the horned beast, downing it completely.

Following Akira's lead, Morgana summoned Zorro and attacked the other incapacitated shadow. While Zorro lacked the physical abilities that Arsene had currently, he was still able to shred the shadow bit by bit, limb by limb as the wind tore it through clean with a Garu, leaving only their leader behind.

Injured and enraged, the Captain charged blindly at the group of persona users with its spear in hand. However, Ryuji concentrated and in another puff of flames, materialized… a shotgun. With the firearm in his hands, Ryuji waited for the shadow to get close, and then a loud bang could be heard. Before they knew it the mount head was in bits, leaving the captain tumbling onto the floor.

"Wait, you started out with a gun?!" this might not have been the best time, but that wasn't going to stop Akira's envy, "what kind of sorcery is this? I only started out with a tiny knife!" He facepalmed himself, maybe he just didn't believe enough.

"So Ryuji had the potential too," Morgana said stunned, wide eyed at the new awakening. It also sounded like Akira won't be getting answers anytime soon.

Ryuji turned and saw Kamoshida still standing there with the same smirk on his face, "even if you get down on your knees and apologize, I ain't forgiving a bastard like you."

"How many times must I tell you, this is my castle," Kamoshida said composed and snobbish as ever. The king did not look impressed by the youngster's outrageous display. "And you still don't understand."

Gesturing to his right, Kamoshida was approached by the same blonde that Akira had seen earlier, only this time she was wearing purple bikini and a headband with cat ears. The girl placed herself next to the king of lust, leaning on him for support.

"Wh—Takamaki?!" Ryuji had to rub his eyes because he couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was no way that was the real her, but… that's how he viewed her in his mind? If so, then he was even more disgusting than he had annually thought.

"Oh..!" Morgana on the other hand, had other things on its mind. Upon seeing the blonde beauty, he ceased all movement and his eyes turned to the shape of small pink hearts. "Wh—What a meow-velous and beautiful girl!" The small creature ended up uttering, he couldn't control himself.

"Really Morgana?" Akira deadpanned. It was bad enough that it had to make that horrible cat-pun, but did it really have to do it now? Their lives were on the line against at what seemed like an unwinnable battle just a moment ago, and now this. Not to mention, was it seriously being distracted by a pretty girl? Maybe Morgana really _was_ a boy.

"What's going on here?" Ryuji asked clueless, which prompted Akira to facepalm. Although the newly awakened user was powerful enough to completely electrify the atmosphere, he was still too dull to sense it.

"I think Morgana's fallen in—" before he finished the sentence, Ryuji finally realized what was going on, judging by the look he gave Takamaki and Kamoshida, "oh, you mean that."

Ignoring the lowlifes around him, Kamoshida reached out and caressed Takamaki's cheek as a sign of affection that she desperately craved. She seemed overjoyed at her king's constant affections and even welcomed them.

Of course, it didn't take long for the boys to object in their own colorful ways.

"Keep your hands off of her, you perv!"

"Hey, there are children present! Keep it PG-13!"

"S-She's amazing!"

Kamoshida returned his attention back at the three, "I told you before, this is my castle—a place where I can do whatever I want and where everyone wants to be loved by me…," he lowered his hand and turned back towards the pests, "that is, everyone besides your kind."

Finally snapping out of his 'trance,' Morgana shook his head before saying, "it looks like this is the same as those slaves—this is Kamoshida's cognition of her."

"Well, that's … disgusting," Akira was going to need brain bleach to purge those images from his head…then again there was nothing that could ever make him un-see any of this. He would have nightmares for years to come if this keeps up.

Kamoshida raised his hand and snapped his fingers "Clean them up this instant!" Following their lord's commands, a small army of shadows suddenly began to appear in the room again; far too many for the three of them to take out without the element of surprise. The three were set up for another pincer again by their enemies. They had to run.

"We're outnumbered! We gotta scram!" Morgana told the two others, hoping that they'd listen.

Unfortunately, Ryuji didn't seem to be in a listening mood, "we can't just run and do nothing!"

"Shut up and run!" Akira ordered, grabbing Ryuji by the arm and forcing him to move before the shadows could gain any more of an advantage against them. The last thing Akira wanted was the palace guards getting the first move. As he dashed for the door, Akira quickly turned around and summoned Arsene who attacked the closest shadow and knocked it into some of the others—it wasn't going to stop them, but it bought them the time they needed to make it back to their escape route and out of the castle. Together the three ran until they were back at the same place they exited from, hasty opening up the vent hatch in a hurry, Akira dragged the two others in before climbing in himself.

When the three made it out of the castle heavily out of breath, they finally had the time they needed to recuperate without the threat of being killed… or worse. For a while stayed in the same spot until they regained some semblance of strengthen to speak again.

With the dust having settled, Ryuji had the time to look over his new outfit, "I don't remember changing into this."

It was then that Akira finally saw his chance to get back at Ryuji for his earlier statement about his costume, "you look like a thug."

"What was that?" Surprisingly, Ryuji actually seemed to take that very personally, before suddenly calming down and shooting back with, "then again, at least it's not as bad as yours."

"You little," Akira puffed before shaking his head, "whatever, we're done here. Let's go." it wasn't worth fighting here. If he wanted to fight it would be in the real world.

"Wait a minute," Morgana jumped from the ground he had been lying on and faced the two of them again, "I guided you two as I promised! It's your turn to cooperate with me!"

"Come again?"

"That's why I was so nice about teaching you idiots everything," Morgana frowned. Did they really think he was doing this for charity? "I need to find a way to erase this distortion from my body and regain my real form! That's why I need your help to delve deep into Mementos and—"

"Whoa, hold up! What are you on about?" Ryuji might not have understood most of what Morgana was saying half the time, but he also knew that this wasn't part of the deal they made.

"That wasn't the deal Morgana," Akira backed Ryuji up. "Our deal was that you'd guide us to the dungeons with the condition that I came with. You never said anything about wanting our help." The Shujin student crossed his arms, in firm denial that they had ever agreed to such an agreement.

"Wait, are you not going to return the hospitality I've shown you?" Morgana, flabbergasted at their replies, giving way to wide cartoon eyes. He was shocked, "Especially you, Akira! You're already part of my master plan!"

"Plan? What? I think we need to rewind this conversation. I think I missed the beginning." Akira just wanted this to be a one off adventure. He's already had his life threatened both in and out of this castle—he just wanted to go back to being a normal student while finding a way to live without angering those who sent him on probation, one more strike and it was straight to juvie. As much as he wanted to fight back, one couldn't take on the law, he was a lost cause unlike Ryuji.

"Is it because I'm a cat?!" Once again, it seemed like Morgana really was not on the same page as the two teenagers. Quite surprising as throughout the trip, that'd been Ryuji whenever Morgana talked. "Is that why you're making a fool of me?!"

"We're busy," Ryuji retorted before crouching down and petting Morgana's head, "thanks for everything, cat! You've got a lot of guts despite being a cat and all."

"Seriously why are you wrapping this up like it's all hunky-dory?!" Morgana screamed, but to no avail as the two boys just made their way to the exit, "hell no! Get back over here!"

Alas, Morgana's words fell on deaf ears, they left the palace and the world began to shift around them. The only thing the poor feline could do was scream and scream, being left all alone in the palace… again.

…

Ashy clouds hang above the still grey city skylines after the rain, giving a somber feel to the rest of the eastern metropolis. The ending of the rain had not only brought gloomy skies, but a sense of deep melancholy to all. Nevertheless the population of Tokyo struggled on, as the monochrome crowds converged, mangled and separated in a never ending sea of people. Waves upon waves of pedestrians trudged through these withered streets each day, hoping to go about their day, each blending into the vast forever expanse of the colorless collective. And among that colorless crowd walked a single, unremarkable, unexceptional individual. Seta Souji, or rather he be known as Yu Narukami from now on, like the rest, blended in almost aimlessly. However, unlike the rest he had an objective. Unlike the rest of the mindless population who went on blissfully unaware throughout their days, he was preparing each day to foil the plans of a certain twisted color coded room. Seta Souji sloshed his way through the congested crowds, hoping to go through the next part of his plan. Something told him if the new Wild Card didn't listen then he would have to make a plan B. It was always better to overthink than the assume the easiest possibility, if the kid was anything like how he used to be, he realized, then it would better to be fully prepared to act than to bank on his one decision.

Souji continued through the sea of Tokyo, eventually stopping at a traffic light between two large street crossings. He waited among the various salaryman, high school students, and other members of Japanese society. Each of their faces were blurred to him as they quietly stood by, waiting for the signal to cross. How long has it been since he paid attention to the many others around him? How long was it, before he had forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by people to be point where he barely recognized them as humans? Surrounding him with many others used to be bring him much happiness, yet now in this sea, he felt like he was struggling alone. It bugged him, unsettled him, and made him uncomfortable. Luckily, he was freed from his disturbed thoughts when the colored lights changed from a deep shade of red, to a bright green. Souji saw the group around him move head, leaving him behind by himself. He was about to catch up to the crowd when...

He felt his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

" _What the…,"_ he cracked open his flip phone, he had picked up a new phone when he first arrived here and hadn't given it out to anyone. Was it just some random spam? Absentmindedly, he searched his apps, finding something that widened his eyes. He had never seen this icon before. In fact it looked too new to be on an undated phone model such as his. The little red square with an evil eye flashed on his tiny phone screen as if calling out to him, sending a small chill down his spine. Something felt off about it. "The Nav?" he read its name out loud in puzzlement. Putting a hand to his chin, he clicked the buttons to open up the otherworldly icon. Unlike the usual delays his outdated device would take to boot up an app, the nav opened up almost instantly. What came next were two equally as bizarre options accompanying the application. He had only minimal options he could select from, them being 'Destination – Mementos' and the option to add a new destination. Looking around he noticed he was oddly alone for some reason. The once bustling population of city thinned out bit by bit, until only a few were only near him. Aware of the sudden change in atmosphere, finding himself isolated from prying eyes, he clicked the first option.

"Destination – out of range. Please relocate and try again."

"What the hell?" Souji thought out loud staring blankly at his cellular device. Both options brought up nothing in return. Was he wrong to feel there was more to this…?


	5. Chapter 5

**This is the first chapter Wes herself wrote all by herself, whereas the ones before were me with her making edits to things like the descriptions and what not (particularly 3 and 4). I guess the correct term is to give a round of applause?**

 **Oh, and this is from Wes herself!**

 ** _Hey guys it's me Wes! Grim is busy working on his own fic lately so I took over this chapter, hope you enjoy it!_**  
 ** _Here are some concept sketches of Souji in his thief outfit. The links are below_**

 ** _sta . sh/01734hhy794s_**

 ** _sta . sh/0g9dawudne6_**

* * *

"I've had enough of this! I hate him. But still...Shiho's my best friend. She's all I have in that sorry excuse of a school!" Ann's voice cracked repeatedly, her eyes slowly beginning to swell and water, leading to a stream of warm tears rolling down her face. Soon, the narrow translucent stream would grow into a sizable river. She sat in a cozy diner with the Shujin's newest delinquent, as golden light from the city seeped in from the windows, bathing them in its warm, comforting glow. The transfer, who she thought at first was trouble, was now the only one easing her of her tired mind. "Tell me...what should I do?" she continued to lean on him, this time for answers. She stared into him with her desperate blue eyes, seeking any advice he might have. However, the boy remained relatively silent.

After listening to Ann's pleas, the bespectacled boy wished he could come up with a definitive reply. But he had none to offer. Akira creased the lower part of his uniform, his hands balling up into tight fists at Ann's confession. He could feel a tinge of anger bubbling up from inside him. Kamoshida had been abusing not only her but the rest of the school as well. He wasn't above making threats to the student body, or beating them senseless for his own sick game and pleasure. In short, the men were full of himself and viewed his majesty as the king of the castle. From what Akira can gather from asking the people around him and Ann's story, it solidified the theory that Kamoshida was a two-faced monster that Ryuji said he was.

"What….am I saying…? I've barely even talked to you before…" Ann turned her stare away from him, realizing it was probably making the boy uncomfortable to give such heavy ended answers. How can she rely on a stranger she had just met?

"If it's fine." the transfer managed to utter out to keep the conversation from getting more awkward. He was here to confirm the Kamoshida theory after all. "It's fine that you're venting this out rather than keeping it all to yourself, it'll be unhealthy if you did."

"H-Huh?" The blonde was taken aback back by his response, no one had ever cared about her in this way before, "You're so weird. Usually, everyone just ignores me." Let alone be concerned for her wellbeing. She took a moment before she began again, this time with a question Akira could answer "Are you really a bad person as the rumors say…? That uh… you assaulted someone...That you almost killed them."

Akira knew Ann had no mal-intentions of bringing up the sick rumors from Shujin, but it was enough to make him feel a tinge of pain in his heart. At first, he tried to ignore the unscrupulous comments about his supposed criminal past, yet after Ryuji's awakening, he felt slightly jealous that his friend could bounce back from his situation unlike himself. "They're not. I didn't do anything to hurt anyone." Akira gave a firm, yet soft answer.

"Huh...I guess I can believe you. Kinda had a feeling they were all just exaggerations." her mood improved "You seemed lonely-almost like you didn't belong anywhere. We're the same in that regard. Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to talk to you." Ann said smiling at the transfer. She no longer viewed him as a criminal, but as someone could relate to. She gradually opened herself up to him. Then she sighed and wished there was a way to change Kamoshida's mind, a way to help Shiho, an impossible wish that could never be fulfilled in their plane of reality which the blonde knew all too well. "As if something like that would ever happen…" Ann could only hope for the best for her and Shiho. Maybe they'll just have to endure for the next year or so until they graduate.

"That'll be too convenient." The Shujin transfer agreed, in contrast to his actual answer, he felt guilty for lying because there was such a way. As insane and outlandish as it sounded, there was an answer to her problem. And she was right on target. His conversation with Ann reminded him of Morgana's explanation just hours before. The little feline claimed it was possible to change their situation and Kamoshida if they went into that strange castle and stole his distorted desires. However, Akira knew the risks were too high. There were several potential dangers to the task. The first being accidentally killing the host of the palace, the second being the shadows and the third and final threat being the hooded man. With all three reasons combined the raven-haired trickster found it hard to undertake the mission, as it would mean the world's finest balancing act, where one fatal mistake could spell the end for him.

As the two continued with their small exchange, they failed to notice a third person also interested in their predicament. Seta Souji seeped from his cup of tea in a corner, enjoying their little conversation, watching the pig-tailed blonde slowly getting up to leave. So far, it seemed like the new Wild Card had failed to heed his warnings. Akira Kurusu had a much stronger presence as a Persona user than he did before. Apart from his main concern, he also felt a similar energy, dwelling within that blonde delinquent boy. He wouldn't be surprised if the kid went back to the alley any time soon, endangering himself and the people around to free this poor girl and the rest of the school from their disgusting teacher. In a way, Souji almost wanted to cheer him on as this Kamoshida was even a little too revolting for him to handle. From what he could make out of the blonde's story, younger Souji would have fallen for the bait and attempted to help too. Such was the doomed nature of the Wild Cards. Taking a final helping of the ice tea he ordered, he sat up to follow the boy out after there was a manageable amount of distance between two. The older Persona user would have to keep a closer eye on him and any signs of Velvet activity from this point on.

Harsh morning light beamed down on Souji as he made his way to Shujin. Quietly, blending into the Tokyo crowds, he tailed the boy as usual. The chaotic bustling of the city covered up his lone presence in a swarm of hundreds upon thousands of other similar ones. He saw Akira make a right, he makes a right, he saw the kid get on the train, so did he. Today, just like any other day of waiting for the inevitable, Souji arrived outside of Shujin Academy. It was this time where he would park himself near an alley by the school to spot the black haired student again. To pass time he would either crack open the compendium or recently, the strange Nav app to figure out its inner workings.

However, unlike any other day, sometime between morning and afternoon, something shook Souji from his concentration. As the fleeting morning began to pass by, he heard several panicked screams and saw a female figure climb up to the roof and over the safety railing. Souji's looked up from his phone, his eyes widened, was she planning to jump?

….

Shiho Suzui made her way up from the empty halls of Shujin, her vision a blur, delicately climbing up the several fleets of stairs to her doom. It was hard to see at this point, as shapes suddenly drifted in and out of existence, obscuring her vision. Thinking back to what happened the day before, she would never have another peaceful day again. Painstakingly she clenched her leg, trying to her best to trudge towards her final destination. During her climb up, no one noticed her, no bothered her, as if the whole world was blind to her presence. There was a small hope in her heart that someone would have come to save her, but that was to no avail. Slowly, she stopped at the entrance to the roof, eyeing the cold grey door. Robotically she grabbed on to the brass knob, twisting all the way to open up to the soothing windy mid-morning air. Shiho felt the cool smooth tiles of the concrete building beneath her feet, walking to over to the sharp safety wire. With a little bit of strength, she managed to climb her way up using one of the abandoned desks as a lift, now landing her on the other side of the building. With dark eyes still drawing a blank, she watched the world blew. With her feet positioned at the edge, she admired the visual scenery the city had to offer. Tall grey buildings lined the vast expanse of Tokyo as far as the eye could see. She could also make out the many people that went about their lives below. Her heart pounded faster and faster in her chest as she made her final decision. And not moments after, she descended.

…

"Wait! She's going to jump!" a student shouted, causing all her classmates to jump and turn towards her. The commotion was at first like an unavoidable shockwave that swept up all the Shujin second years into a collective panic. The next few moments consisted of uncontrollable hysterics as people screamed, gossiped or ran out of the classroom to watch the grave spectacle. A male student ran off here, a female student there. Many voices of concern, frustration, fear, and so on battled each other for dominance over the chaos eventually blocking any form of reasonable communication, leaving the instructor of the class helpless in stopping the growing madness that was the student body.

"For real?" One student muttered to her friend, sitting at their desks. Multiple versions of rumors concerning Shiho could be heard, from her reason for suicide to her standing as a student at Shujin.

"No way! She didn't commit suicide did she?!" Another shouted in sheer disbelief. He or she appeared to be in shock at the situation.

"It's Shiho Suzui! Shiho Suzui!" A group of male students could be heard chanting her name out loud.

"Shiho..?" Ann jolted up from her desk, immediately making a mad dash for the classroom exit. There was no way that could be her best friend, please let this be a mistake the blonde pleaded while fighting her way through the massive crowd. She pushed, shoved, and jabbed her way through displacing multiple people to get to a window among the dense gathering of pandemonium.

"This isn't good" Akira, similarly followed his classmates, hurried out of the room. He sprung from his desk, slanging his bag with Morgana to his shoulder and made his way out. Despite his swift movements, he found himself being swept aside by Ann and many others as they hastily dashed to the end of the halls and down the second-floor stairs. "Dammit…:" the raven-haired boy mumbled to himself, trying to make his way out to the courtyard. He tried looking everywhere for an exit, even escaping from one of the windows, but everything seemed to block off by the other students. He had to at least go help Ann. A part of him blamed himself for the situation since he had the power to stop it before, but chose not to. Instead, he remained a bystander. After the pig-tailed blonde had laid her heart out yesterday, he wanted to slap himself from doing nothing, especially out of fear of the repercussions. If only he had gone to the palace like Morgana asked then maybe Kamoshida would have had a change of heart, and this would have never happened! Akira sped down the halls as fast as he could until he bumped into Ryuji who was confused at the sudden panic of his fellow classmates.

"H-Hey! What's goin' on!? We should head to the courtyard too!" the alarmed blonde voiced out in a slight panic. Unlike Akira, he didn't actually witness the girl jumping

"Yea, no shit we should! Come on let's go" The Shujin transfer only had seconds to breathe before dragging his friend along with him. He needed to get to Ann.

….

Souji watched from afar as sirens blared to life in the distance. Suddenly a blinding combination of red and blue flared up, lighting up his surroundings. Within moments of the female figure's descent, several Tokyo police cruisers and paramedics had driven spontaneously into Shujin's courtyard. Students flooded out from inside the building phones at the ready to film the gruesome incident, but the outside wasn't better as mass media gathered at the school's entrance at the grave commotion. He didn't know what caused the poor girl to jump, but he had a few guesses of his own, from what he heard yesterday of the abuses of Kamoshida, it wasn't a stretch to say he had something to do with the matter. In end, this was none of his concern, nor a factor that will affect from tailing the new Wild Card. He scanned around trying to look for the black haired boy among the crowd but came up empty. He could only pinpoint a general vicinity of where the kid might be. It was going to be a little harder to track him do.

Souji was about to step out of the alley when he heard a few horsed voices and panicked footsteps, heading his way. Quickly recognizing the presences of Akira, his new friend, and something else, he hid a little distance away. He made sure no one got a glimpse of his face and placed himself just far enough to where their voices could be heard. Could they be planning to go back to that other world?

As if on cue, he heard the two people hurriedly sprinted into the cramped alley opposite to the school. Then a third, slower set trailed other two. He didn't know who this new person was but they, like him, were curious about Akira's plans. He cautiously peeked out from the side of the building to find the same pig-tailed blonde from before, secretly peering into the alley entrance. She seemed a lot more unnerved and impatient than before, judging her from expression and posture

"So we just gotta say the school, Kamoshida's name, and...castle? Then we end up in bizarre world." the first voice, likely the blonde spoke up. "...How the hell's all this work? Someone make it?"

"It doesn't matter, for now we need to get to the bottom of the Castle and that bastard." A second voice replied to the first. Its tone a lot more firm and bitter from what Souji could tell. It was definitely Akira. Additionally, the boy sounded a bit rattled. So the girl who jumped was either close or was known by the Wild Card.

"True, there's no point in thinkin' about it now. We'll show that effin' Kamoshida!" the first voiced up again. This time a lot more determined. Then the two went silent after what Souji could make out was a cat's meow. He wasn't sure why but, he felt a reading similar presence to a user from that cat before. Could the little creature be similar to Teddy in terms of its role and function? Does it too use a Persona? If so, then why could only the two boys understand it, as opposed to the girl trailing them who had no further comments? This new set of users was truly bizarre.

Leaning back onto the walls of his hiding spot again, seeing no further gain in eavesdropping on the Shujin students, Souji flipped open his old cellular device. The bright screen of his flip phone illuminated his face, as he eyed the ominous red Nav icon in the center. "So a name and a place huh?" he muttered to himself while inputting the needed information. Before today, he had no actual reason to enter the parallel world other than a lovely sightseeing trap, but today he could finally witness the younger Wild Card in action. Deducing what the application meant by name and place came out as clear as day if one pieced together what Ryuji said the days before, 'Kamoshida' and 'Castle' were clearly the keys needed for navigation. Taking one last glimpse to see if the two had disappeared before him, he was surprised to watch the pig-tailed blonde let out a voice of shock before fading along with the presence of the other two.

"What the…" Perhaps she strayed a little too close that she was dragged in? So the application had a range Souji mused. That was the only logical explanation he could gauge from what just happened. He was glad to be just far enough to escape the Nav's effects. So this really isn't like the TV world. Back in Inaba, it was impossible for others than him and the investigation team to enter without painfully ramming themselves into a whirlwind of hurt and broken glass. Before, he could easily be assured there wouldn't be any outside interference. But like before, he had to be careful now not to take in any unsuspecting pedestrians. Souji turned back to his phone, having figured he had waited long enough, he activated the Nav. However, little did he know, he would enter with the girl from before.

...

Ann Takamaki screeched from feeling a bizarre prickling sensation arise from her skin. The school, and more so the world around her began to distort and warp. Minutes before her disappearance, she had tailed her two classmates to a secluded alley beside the school. Sakamoto and Akira clearly had a plan to deal with their vile teacher, but they have shoved her aside after she offered to go along with them. She would do anything to help her best friend right now. Ann didn't know what they were planning as they rambled on about a strange castle, key terms and so on. In her mind, she was sure the two were going to do something drastic, but this not what she had expected. Maybe they would send threats to the vile gym teacher or try to assault the man, yet she saw the black haired Akira tap silently on his phone instead.

The pig-tailed girl braced herself for what was to come. The distortion only got worse and worse as time went on until she couldn't take it anymore. Closing her eyes in an attempt to lessen the strange sensations she waited, until the distortions ceased to have an effect on her. She thought she was safe.

"What is this!?" Ann froze in shock at the sudden shift in settings. Her thoughts drifted from the weird sensations to the stone European castle before her. Yet the confusion only grew worse as she realized they were still in Tokyo, judging by the familiar buildings around her, apart from the bizarre medieval anomaly.

"T-Takamaki!?" her attention shifted from her new setting to a costumed man with a skull mask and cherry red scarf tied around his neck, who she instantly recognized by his hair and tone of voice, next to him stood an equally notable male with a white mask.

"Sakamoto!? And...are you Kurusu-kun?" She assumed almost automatically at the two. Despite knowing both Akira and Sakamoto, she still unknowingly backed away upon reflex at the otherworldly sight.

"W-wh-why are you here!?" Ryuji stumbled, trying to formulate a response to the sudden appearance of the foreign blonde.

"How should I know? What's going on? Hey, where are we…!? Isn't this the school!? Like her male Shujin counterparts, she had no clue as to why she ended up in this...place. Was this their method of dealing with Kamoshida? "You better explain what's going on! I won't leave until you do!" she adamantly added, swinging arm down in a downwards motion. She needed to know. Yet, her swift demands fell on deaf ears, while the two boys conversed with each other and their third feline member. Ann didn't know what was going on, nor her surroundings, nor her senses. Stress began to overtake her mind. The events unfolding today were too unreal for her to process what was truly going on around her. The talking cat, who she later nicknamed the monster cat only made it worse.

"We can't deal with Kamoshida if we don't" Sakamoto exclaimed, this time loud enough for the poor girl to hear.

"What are you-" she tried to question them further but was immediately cut off by the masked blonde.

"We'll explain after everything's over" he gave her a short apology. Ann thought of saying more, but her thoughts were cut when the two, including the monster cat, began to walk towards her, grabbing her.

"Hey! And just where are you touching me!?" she tried shaking them off, which caused Sakamoto to apologize, but at the same time push her out the school gates. Upon feeling the strange sensation of distortion a second time, she was boosted back into the real world, and the small alley. Still feeling a bit of prickling on her skin, she leaned against one of the walls for support. "Just what was that…" she wondered to herself. She was sure the large castle along with Sakamoto and Akira being there had something to do with their method of dealing with Kamoshida. If she was right, then why were they intentionally pushing her away? Ann has as much right, if not more to deal with that disgusting volleyball coach. Finally having had enough rest, the blonde got to her feet, she needed to go back. Even if those two wouldn't agree to take her, she would just have to go alone. "Ugh, I need to get back." she reached into her pant pocket, pressing the passcode to her smartphone. From what she saw the raven-haired boy do, he triggered some kind of Nav application. Her worries continued to grow as scoured through the interwebs for such an app. However, just before she was about to give up in, an otherworldly red icon blinked onto her on screen. "The Meta Nav…?" she narrowed her eyes, reading the name suspiciously. Having no other choice and little time, she booted up the crimson red square.

"Beginning navigation." A soulless robotic voice announced before the world started to change.

….

Souji could feel a wrapping sensation as he arrived in what was this app's equivalent to the TV world. He braced himself for a rough landing, but instead, found he stood completely still on a glowing red surface of stone and brick. As he observed the new world more, he could feel the same weight and pressure that exerted itself on him, similar to his multiple trips into the TV. Thankfully, that was one of the only things it had in common with that foggy yellow hell. Apart from feeling the presence of a large array of weak shadows nearby, this was a new arena for him. "Holy shit, it really was a Castle." The grey-haired man lifted up his head in awe to view the massive stone palace, taking in the grand ancient structure in all its majesty. It seems like the Wild Card wasn't lying. Yet, before he could move another step he heard someone call out to him.

"H-Hey! W-Who you?!" a jumpy female voice called out, causing Souji to reflexively reach for his non-existent katana. Once the older Wild Card realized a pedestrian had probably been dragged in by Meta app. He cursed himself. What made his situation even worse was once he recognized it was that pig-tailed girl from before. There was little chance of her going back now. He could just knock her unconscious and send her on her way, maybe then she would see this as a vivid dream. But there was the additional issue that she had seen his face. "U-um, are you with them? Y-you have that weird mask thing too right?"

"Y-yea" Souji answered back, caught off guard by the girl's statement. He didn't realize it before he arrived, but now that he felt something over his face, he checked the rest of his attire. Putting a hand on his cheek, he indeed felt a smooth metallic mask that was similar to the face of his main persona, Izanagi. Two long white banners also protruded from its back to his feet. Souji then inspected the rest of his outfit. The main three colors from what he could tell were gold, red, and a darkish grey. With the main coat colored and modeled after his again, his first Persona. However, despite the striking similarities, he noted the top part which once mirrored his school uniform now had a red tux collar and golden tie. As if he had graduated and replaced his uniform with a business suit instead. The last detail he noticed was when he held up his hand to find striking black gloves. Souji had expected differences from the Metaverse, but earning a new outfit was not one of them. He looked back towards the girl again. Thankfully the new mask hid his face. He was going to make up a convincing lie until heard the approach of several armored shadows.

"Princess?" a distorted voice directed itself to the young girl next to him. It only got louder as they ran closer.

"Huh?" The blonde's attention shifted from the masked individual to the trio of armed shadow soldiers dashing towards her. Frightened, she took a few steps back from the three. The large medieval knights, with equally oversized shields and swords, called out to the young girl one more time before swiftly apprehending her. The frail Shujin student let a panicked scream, trying to shake one of her captors off by desperately struggling against their metallic grips. She threw and kicked their hard armor to no effect. "L-let me go! Let me go!" her right fist rammed into the armor, her left foot collided with one of the chest plates. The shadows were completely numb to her attacks. Ann braced for the worst while being taking inside, until she felt a sudden breeze sweep by, freeing her left arm. A black blur flying at impossible speeds punched through one of the armored men like Swiss cheese, and then it twisted its body around grabbing the other two brutally bashing their heads together. Still in shock, Ann lost her balance at her sudden freedom and stumbled to the floor.

"You ok, young lady?" the masked men from before asked in concern, now standing beside her. He offered one of his hands.

"Y-yea…" She answered, stunned by his surprise attack. How can anyone move at such inhuman speeds? She felt hesitant, but he did just save her. Trusting the stranger, for now, he helped her up. "B-But anyway...what were those things and how did you-" she was caught off by the blood-curdling howls from one of the destroyed armors. Lying on the floor, of what used to be several regal looking works of armor faded away, giving way to a gross black tar substance. The new pulsating mesh morphed spread and swooshed on the castle floor with great malice as if it was alive.

"Stay behind me alright?" the mysterious individual jumped in front of the blonde, one hand shielding her from the moving black substance. Soon, the once shapeless tars took the forms of several, of what Ann could tell, bizarre creatures. It reminded her of some of the stuff one of would see in a fairytale. The first knight who was punched clean through morphed into another armored knight, but this time on horseback, while the other two followed a similar pattern but with different results. The second one changed into a ghostly emerald colored horse and the last, a green-haired woman with a beautiful red dress.

"How you dare touch the princess of the great Castle of king Kamoshida!" The knight on horseback rushed forward with its spear held high, charging to tear apart the fool that was in the way. The sharp tip of the long lace threatened to piece through Souji's throat. But the man stood unmoving.

"Hey! What do you think you're—!" Ann yelled out, why wouldn't he move?!

 **Crack!**

"Was that the best you've got?" Souji glared daggers into the stunned shadow, one gloved hand holding onto the shiny metallic spare, inches away from piercing his neck. He was able to halt the fast accelerating pole with just, one action. In fact, he had begun to push back, forcing the large shadow a few paces back.

"W-what are you?!" The Berith felt a small chill run down his spine, this one felt different than the three from the other day. The powerful difference was astronomical in scale. Additionally, there was something he couldn't fully describe, a sensation that was more... evil. "Y-You two! Attack now!" It shouted in an alarmed voice, he wouldn't this monster edge into the castle further, king Kamoshida was in danger!

Without another moment's hesitation, Seta Souji pushed the lance back with one forceful blow, causing the shadow's steed to falter, making the Berith lose its footing. Seeing the spear was loose he yanked and spun one eighty degrees, directing right back at its master. Positioning his feet, he launched himself into the air propelling him like a speeding bullet, ramming the long spear into his enemy's throat. The Berith writhed in pain at the sudden impact, unable to make any quick moments. Feeling an incoming attack from the incapacitated Shadow's allies, Souji swung the impaled knight throwing his body onto his fellow brethren. It served as a great meat shield that collided and canceled all of their attacks a medium sized explosion.

"Izanagi..." He smirked calling forth his most trusted Persona, his mask flared to life enveloping him its grand azure flames. "Ziodyne!" A large figure appeared towering behind Souji, its dark form raised one claw in summoning a godly mass of thunder. The torrent of electricity crackled, twisted, danced madly until it created a gruesome distortion, shaking the palace to its very core. Quickly, it descended from the heavens, burning its victims alive with a loud roar of thunder.

"Huh...maybe that was a little too much," Souji said adjusting his black gloves, unaware of the fear and awe he just installed into the blonde beside him. "You still ok?" he glanced back at the Shujin student.

Ann Takamaki was left speechless at the casual voice and light display by the masked men. A part of her told her to get up and run as fast as possible, yet another held her back. She now had the sudden realization of why Akira and Sakamoto had pushed away from the start. This castle was dangerous, far too traitorous for any normal person to handle. If she and the masked individual switched places during that encounter then she wouldn't be standing here right now. How was she going to save Shiho when she was so useless to them? How can she deal with Kamoshida if she couldn't even get past a few guards!? When she came in, she thought she could handle herself, but instead, she was manhandled so easy. "I...I." the girl remained mostly silent.

Souji noticed the blonde's expression change from one of awe, to a mask of anxiety and fear. Perhaps he had frightened her with his grave display, but something told him it was also something else. Either way, he would use her and his previous attacks to draw out the Wild Card and this castle's king. He wanted to see if the two plus the strange cat could truly handle the grueling worked related to defeating shadows. For now, he would play helpless and watch. If the three failed to meet his expectations and couldn't hold their own, then he'd rather put the idiot of his misery than let him go on. Killing him would be a mercy compared to the garbage reward he would receive after.

"I'm sorry if I scared you…" he apologized to the young girl. It was both an apology for his actions, but also should the new Wild Card fail. She would be a witness.

"No….it's ok. It's not that." she finally spoke, her voice a shrill whisper of what it used to be. "It's not your fault...t-thanks for saving me back there." she managed to force out, avoiding any direct eye contact.

"We should get out of here-" He was caught off as a horde of shadow soldiers flooded from all over the castle into the grand entrance hall. Whole armies of armored knights sprung from up and blow, all lined in individual positions, ready to lay siege to their enemies. Some held their blades up high chanting the name of their great and regal leader, while others stood firm awaiting orders. There was a variety of colored of armors that slowly separated out from each other, each implying their specific ranks. And what followed next was a loud, booming voice that put all knight activity to a sudden halt.

"Well, well I was informed of having a set of new pests intruding upon my glorious castle." Ann jolted from her musings after hearing the dreadfully familiar voice. She glanced around to be surrounded on all sides by the same knights that had tried to kidnap her. She didn't want to believe it, it couldn't be who she thought it was.

"K-Kamoshida..?" Her head lifted up, recognizing the men that stood atop the grand balcony, scorning her from above. Yet this Kamoshida felt different, as he gave off a far more monstrous aura than the one she knew in the real world. Just what was going on? Was this the Kamoshida Akira and Sakamoto were talking about? This lewdly dressed, gross man with a golden crown atop his head?

"Hmp, what's wrong?" The king noted their silence, shifting his gaze from the new masked fool to the slightly shaking girl. "Did you two not enjoy terrorizing my castle? Disturbing the king's abode? Tch, you filthy lowlives " the shadow said in a low audible growl. The attack from earlier had definitely angered the king, causing a small earthquake in his home.

"S-so what?!" Ann yelled back, trying to control her shaking. It was true that she couldn't fight back, but she refused to be talked down by Kamoshida! It would be a slap to the face of happened to Shiho if she crumbled now.

"You dare talk back to the king? Guards!" Already enraged by the outrageous disturbance the two intruders had caused, Kamoshida had shown them enough mercy. With a swift swipe of his hand right hand, his troop stood at ready. "I was going to let you both off by becoming my slaves, however, you've shown enough insolence, enough for swift execution."

"Yes, your majesty!" The whole hall responded in uniform to their king's commend.

"Execute them..."

"E-Execution?! Y-you're kidding!" The king's words snapped her out of her fit of anger. She saw the army beginning to encircle and close in on them, entrapping them. At first, she couldn't believe it, yet now she realized the gravity of their situation. Her emotions had caused her to go off the rails and endanger them both. But at the same time, she couldn't just stand by and have Kamoshida have his way, not anymore. Especially after he claimed he was going to make them slaves. Was this what would have had happened to her if she dragged away by those guards? Slowly some of the armored knights began to transform just like before.

"Don't blame yourself too much, what's done is done." He again got in front of her. "Just stay behind me like before. I'll clear a way to the entrance and you dash for it ok?" he raised his fists in a battle stance.

"What? No! I can't just leave you like that." Ann cringed imaging what might happen to him in this horde of monsters. Once she fled all their attention would be directed to him, there was no way he can take all those soldiers on at once. She didn't care how strong that one single spell was before, he would be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of foes to properly fight back. "D-didn't you say you had allies in here? Can't you call them here?"

He gave a slight chuckle "That's what I'm banking on young lady, once they arrive we'll turn this place upside down." He dodged a nearby bufu spell and clashed fists with an archangel, that sent the wing creature flying into a nearby row of scattering shadows. "See? No need worry."

Ann once again can only stare in awe, if Akira and others were similarly powered to this person, then maybe, just maybe they could win. "Fine...I'll go when I see an exit" She hesitantly agreed. It was for the better her to leave. The masked men surely had friends that will come to his rescue, surely.

"Good, run when I gave you signal." He gave her an assuring smile "Now just give me a few minutes," he finished before grabbing his mask again. "Izanagi!" he called forth his favorite once again. The summoning alone was enough to knock the encroaching circle back a few paces. It rattled the tight formations of the soldiers before giving Souji time to commend his massive persona to pulverize a group of shadows with its long polearm. The lighting god slammed its weapon with one mighty swing that decimated and blew away countless Births and Eligors. Witnessing the massive difference in strengthens between their army and Souji some hesitated to move, but that was only until more came to take their places. No matter how much carnage or death the older Wild card caused another row of soldiers will replace the first. The wave of shadows never ceased to end. Not wanting his Persona to do all the work, Souji sprang from his position easily jumping onto one of the Agathions as leverage, throwing himself into the air. Yanking one of the annoying Succubus out of the air that tried to charm him earlier, he squeezed her by the windpipe snapping it in half before using her body as a landing cushion, crushing both a Bicorn and Mara in the process. The female demon looked on in horror, struggling to free herself from the monster. She didn't fear death, nor the Persona behind him. But what shook her to the core and froze her body was his face moments before her demise. He had the most demented features, a grin so deranged one would be insane to call him human. He edged his face so close to hers that he was practically breathing down her neck, having a presence so heavy with malice and despair that it sucked all the air from around her. She wanted to call out to the girl cheering him on in the horde of shadows. Warn her, save her.

Souji had no actual weapon on him, instead, he got creative by using the shadow he just killed as a makeshift sports hammer by using her tail as a handle. He spun the body around like a professional hammer thrower, creating a small whirlwind that knocked and threw off many of the shadows that were piling on him. In the midst of battle, the projectile managed to decapitate several floating Jack-o'-Lanterns and behead a trio of Incubuses. Noticing the body was starting to fade, Souji tossed her aside and roundhouse kicked an Archangel, ripping off its wings to block an array of Agis, Bufus and Garus.

Ann watched the older men start to clear a sizeable path between her and the entrance. Every time she saw him get burned, hashed, or bombarded by a string of ice spells she would visibly cringe inside. It was almost impossible to spot him among the chaotic clash of the army and the masked individual. One moment they would overwhelm and drown him under their mass, the other he would appear from nowhere. She couldn't fathom how much pain he was in, being constantly thrown around in the bloodbath. In fact, she noticed him slowing down the more he fought. In the beginning, it was an only fraction second between punches, yet now the delays were getting bigger and bigger as time went on. Larger and larger cuts were becoming more visible on his face, as she saw specs of red start to flow from his head. He no longer held the previous confident grin as he did before, but a teeth-clenching scowl. Ann was thankful he had tried to protect, even letting the figure he summoned stand by her. The being he called Izanagi pushed and blocked all threats that would hurt her away. Guilt again began to rear its ugly head, there must be something she could do to help. Looking around frantically for an answer she spotted Kamoshida still on the grand balcony, blankly observing the carnage below.

"Gawhhhhh!" A loud pained screech rang throughout the room. Ann covered her mouth in horror recognizing the scream. The large figure above also faded, leaving her alone.

"N-no…" tears started to seep from her eyes, all shadow activity in the castle ceased. Among the barrage of armored knights lay a single red figure. A pool of blood poured from his chest and mouth like a morbid fountain, creating a small river. Three large polearms had run through his chest cavity completely from front to back in a brutal barbican fashion that left him incapacitated. He was faced down until one of the knights picked him by the head like a rag doll, and popped both his arms with a sickening crack. "W-what is...this." She felt nauseous, she gagged.

"It's your fault that he's like this you know." Kamoshida came down from the upper floor. The king's face twisted in disgust, "If you hadn't talked back with that filthy mouth, then maybe you both could have lived." One of the knights handed him a golden sword. Two shadows yanked and pinned her down. She watched the king of lust walk towards the downed mask, his head held down, displaying the full back of his neck.

"Please, no!..I-I'll do anything! J-just don't kill him!" tears flooded down her face as she begged for mercy from the man she loathed the most.

"Anything?" This got the king's attention. His eyed her up and down with his gross yellow eyes. He went towards her, cupping a hand on her chin so she would be in direct eye contact with the man. "Then you make it up to me by throwing yourself all over me.." he asked with a perverted smile "Since that useless girl took your place last time, why not make it up to me eh?"

"Shi….ho?" Ann's heart sank, horrified at what he was implying, within moments the light that once adored her eyes started to fade. Her whole body slumped. More tears started to roll her lifeless blue orbs. "Shiho…"

"Was that a yes-" the vile tyrant was caught off by another.

"Are you going to let him get away with it? Are you going to let him do what he wants?!" A voice boomed from the other side of the room, the masked man struggled against his bides. His little speech got him a kick in the jaw by one of the soldiers.

"Silence you!" Kamoshida growled.

Ann looked at back at impaled, bleeding mask. "Huh…?"

"That shithead harmed someone close to you, didn't he? Didn't you come here to sock him in the face? You're doing this for Shiho right? How would she feel if she saw you like this?!" Souji guessed as he struggled again.

"I did…." Slowly, she began to realize why she was here. A surge of pain began to invade her body. Her chest felt like it was going to burst.

"Hah, like she can anything now." Kamoshida scoffed at the outrageous idea. Ann Tamaki was a failure. "You're just as useless as you were before. All you had to was say yes and that dumb bitch would have never jumped-! And this is the second you've messed up!" He swung his sword, aiming it for Souji's neck.

"DON'T YOU EVER TALK SHIT ABOUT SHIHO EVER AGAIN!" Ann's words made a sizeable shockwave in the hall, stopping Kamoshida in his tracks. Her whole body pained, she struggled until she overpowered the shadows behind her. She bashed her head onto one of them and punched the other. The whole palace began to shake as the blonde wrathed in pained until a ruby red mask adorned her face, she pulled unleashing a hellish assortment of deadly blue flames. The circle of fire rocked up into the air, forming a leviathan sized pillar of azure that consumed half of the shadow army.

"H-huh?!" Kamoshida backed away in shock. He had seen awakenings before, both from the black and blonde kids, yet they paled in comparison to the sheer amount of destruction this girl caused. He backed away from the blonde but stopped after realizing his army quickly replenished itself.

Ann awakened from her slumber from within the cooling blue flames, a figure of extravagant beauty and grace stood regally beside her. Her previous lifeless blue orbs now seethed and burned with ever-growing amounts of pure hatred from the king. "I'm going to take back everything you did to us Kamoshida! I'm going to rob you of everything!" the girl declared with absolute determination to burn down everything he stood for. Ignite a trail of fire that would lead her and Shiho to freedom.

"Hmph, as if." The king said unaffected by her empty declaration. He had a never-ending army and she was only one person.

"Dance Carmen!" She called forth her new partner. The alluring women summoned a fire that shattered the very the ground they stood on and rocked the castle even worse than the previous times before. The fire seemed to have eaten away the entire balcony and the Kamoshida painting, creating a large building sized hole.

"W-what…?" Ann murmured stunned at her own power. Kamoshida's jaw dropped witnessing his castle crumble, he was lucky to jump out of the way when the fire was summoned. A horrified expression slowly spread across his entire face. Sweat rolled down his large square face.

"You're not the only one you know?" She heard a familiar voice from the distance.

"A-Akira?!" She yelled back, to see the raven-haired trickster supporting her masked friend. The man had healed a bit from his previous appearance. He slung one arm around Akira. The white masked Shujin student had his dagger in an attack stance. Likewise, Sakamoto gave a death glare to the army around them. Lastly, the tiny monster cat stood proudly with his trusty short sword. All of them having their individual personas hovering above them. It was then she realized she wasn't alone. That attack was all four of their wills combined, creating what one could call an improvised fusion spell.

"You ok to stand?" The trickster said to the injured persona user.

"Yea...I'm good now." He gently let go of the younger Wild Card. In truth all of Souji's wounds had healed a long time ago, he was just faking it. "I don't want to be dead weight in this fight. He adjusted his black glove. "Let's do this…"

The rest nodded in unison.

"Hey, Kamoshida! Look your ugly face over here!" Ryuji yelled before zapping a horde of Bicorn shadows. The skull masked boy took off with the rest of the team. He grabbed his steel pipe and bashed away at everything and anything that got in his way. He charged forward, eventually meeting Ann where he crash lands hitting a few shadows.

"Can't you a little more graceful with your landings?" the red-masked female complained as he almost rammed into her.

"Uh, sorry about that." He swung his pipe at an oncoming Incubus, covering her back. "Anyway here's the plan!"

Morgana rushed into the sea of the never-ending army and tore through the countless shadows that threatened to squash him. "Zoro! Garu." The tiny feline shouted, within moments of his command a large green tornado formed, swiping multiple shadows off the floor, clearing a small pathway that was immediately overtaken by the army again. "Tch"

Ann gripped one of the bigger Beriths with her wipe and imitated what the masked men had done before. By using its large body as a projectile she shot its form straight towards the exit, and then burned a path through the clearing with Carmen. Ryuji kicked off one of the remaining pests that were in the way, only for the path to be lost again. They were being overwhelmed.

"Captain Kidd!"

"Carmen!" The two yelled simultaneously fusing their attacks together.

"Hahahah, try as you might you deplorable lowlives. The chances of you each clearing a path is impossible!" Kamoshida cackled to himself. He couldn't believe how stupid these thieves were. He saw several of them trying to helplessly make an exit. What was he worried about again?

"Who said we were doing this individually hmm?" Akira announced, standing beside his new teammate.

"It would be a shame if we did." the older one agreed, both Arsene and Izagani were taking their sweet time charging what looked to be a large fusion attack, aimed right at the king. The mesh of darkness and electricity flickered, wrapping the space around it. The energy around the two personas magnified, lifting the dirt and rumble around them. The path being cleared was not to the outside, but a direct cannon fire to Kamoshida himself.

"Arsene!

"Izanagi!" the two, like Ann and Ryuji were back to back. Together, they raised their arms and pointed directly at their target, hatred seething from their eyes.

"FIRE!"

"W-WHAT?! Guards! Guards!" Seeing the impending danger the king panicked, gathering all his forces in a final shield of defense. But it was too late…


	6. Chapter 6

**All right, another one written solely by Wes again with me just proof reading. Wes, you're not trying to gain leverage on me so that you can convince me to write something neither of us want to write later on, are you?**

 **Just kidding... I hope.**

 **Ash: Sporadic as of now. As for Souji... you'll just have to see.**

 _ **Wes:**_ ** _Wes: Nahhh I wouldn't do something THAT obvious...who knows?_**

* * *

"Everyone run for it, now!" a voice called out from the mess, accompanied by multiple pairs of hustled footsteps. Suddenly a blur of red, black, and so on passed through the now emptied castle, unable to keep its previous infrastructure, pillars crumbled, floors cracked, and a few large fissures opened up due to the ongoing battle. The once mighty stone structure now made its last stand. As the sheer magnitude of the attack collided with Kamoshida's last line of defense, the mere impact of the fusion spell sent a sizable ripple effect across the entire shadow channel, loosening several layers of his last resort as soldiers were quickly flushed away. The tyrant king could only cringe and watch what must have been the last moments of his life.

"Arsene!" Akira placed a hand to his mask, summoning his original Persona to eat away at any last remaining shadows that were blocking his escape. A large dose of Eiha was thrown at a nearby pixel and several Bicorns, cooking them alive. He was almost to the exit, it was getting closer and closer as time went on, but it felt like it took forever to reach among the assorted chaos around him. His heart pounded from the adrenaline rush, he hadn't felt this alive in a while. Maybe this wasn't so bad. The raven-haired trickster leaped away from a stray lightning bolt and swung his right hand upwards in a graceful slashing motion to dismember another shadow. He was about to attack when he felt someone pull him by the arm, which caused the boy to fall back before a blinding light hit his face. "H-hey!"

"Whoa there, be careful…." a concerned voice said from behind, but instead of turning to his savior, Akira was more preoccupied with a mountain of razor sharp icicles currently rising from the destroyed floor. The cool, transparent diamonds of magical energy slowly froze the air around them. What remained of the white marble tiles he had previously stood on was a scattered mass of deadly looking ice crystals. Their cold, rough surface reflected his expression of slight horror, as he cringed imagining the aftermath.

"Just for reference, how dead would I have been?" The younger asked raising an eyebrow, both out of morbid curiosity and what his masked ally might say. Maybe he could gauge a bit of his personality by the response. If he was the more worried type he might scold for his rashness, yet if he was more of a jokester like him…

"Impaled bloody mess, meat topsicle, new human flavored crème de glacée," the individual replied rather bluntly in rapid succession. There was a tinge of humor in his voice, although it was mostly bitter.

"A bit harsh isn't it?" Akira joked back, finally regaining his composure. He tossed his dagger in the air in a playful motion, masking his surprise. From his vantage point, he had a good aim at the poor shadow who had just tried to impale him. A green haired Silky hovered frantically in the air after being spotted by the Wild Card. With a flash of rage and precision he raised his dagger and threw it for the creature's throat, missing by a few cemeteries but was enough to pierce it through its mouth, killing it instantly.

"Wasn't that a bit harsh?" the older retorted back with the same question. Like Akira, he was interested in what he might say next. Just what kind of person was he?

"Trying to conserve mental strength." The boy pointed to his mask, his face an unchanging frown. Logically, he was right to resort to physical attacks instead of summoning as it put less strain on the user, yet Souji couldn't help but shake a feeling there was something more.

"Can you cover me?" Akira shifted his stance, spotting Ann, Ryuji and Morgana, waving to them at the castle entrance. They had to hurry.

"Sure thing."

...

...

"Hey! What you are guys doing?! Over here!" Ryuji shouted, with both hands in the air. The palace didn't look like it could take any more at this point.

"Don't rush them, they know what they're doing," Ann snapped back, worried if their friends rushed and got hit by a stray Bufu or Zio. She sounded just as frustrated if not more than her blonde classmate, watching Akira and older male power their way through the wave of shadows. The entrance hall was crumbling at this point, the shaking only got more violent as time went on. The sheer amount of shadows gathered inside overwhelmed the medieval building.

"Lady's Ann's right—" Morgana was cut off by a loud thud from inside the building.

"What the hell!?" Ryuji's screamed in a panic when he saw several large pieces of the collapsed ceiling and other large debris heading straight for the two. A cold shiver ran down his spine. Yet, his change in expression is what halted his friend, stopping him his tracks to gaze at whatever horrified his skull masked teammate. "Akira!" A large jagged piece of stone threatened to crack open his skull.

"No…." Ann covered her mouth, "YOU TWO GET OF THE WAY!" she shouted in desperation. Her body as if on autopilot ran towards the only to back away when it caved in on the entrance.

"This... isn't how it should have turned out…." Morgana looked on shocked at the grizzly scene. The plan should have worked. They could have made it out. But Akira and the new user were probably crushed under layers upon layers of stone and grave. And as if on cue of gruesome spectacle, the palace lit up in a bright disturbing light show while a blood-curdling scream from Kamoshida sounded from the inside.

"..." Ryuji dropped to the floor speechless. The first time entering the castle they had almost died, and he thought the second would be better planned, but they should have never have come back in the first place. Next, to him, Ann wasn't faring any better as she too collapsed to the ground. All this for a chance to get back at their disgusting gym teacher. The two watched in silence as the castle fall apart from the inside. Their souls seemingly lost in their foggy conscious.

Morgana's expression was a mix of disbelief and despair. He watched the two Shujin students slump on to the earth. He didn't know what to do, or what to say. Both Ann and Ryuji stared at the covered entrance drawing a blank. There was no way to get in or get out, yet despite the collapse of the inside, the outer palace seemed completely untouched. Then he felt his ears twitch accompanied by a minor earthquake, the rubble around him started jumping up and down. He could feel an immense power heading straight for the sealed exit.

"Is that….who I think is it?" the cat's fur frizzled up and tingled.

"Huh?" Ryuji let out a small questioning sigh. He started to hear loud booms of thunder. It was similar to when he performed his Zio attack, but much more potent

Ann began to notice tiny cracks on the entrance, and felt some of the hairs on the back of her begin neck raise at the strange energies. With another thunderous roar from the inside, they started to become wide fissures. Another sound, another small puncture, until finally, a massive blast of blue flames passed through the stones. "Akira?"

A deafening sound of crackling electricity could be heard, rocking the castle floor. Suddenly, a flash of red and gold shattered the castle entrance clean with what appeared to be a raven-haired boy clinging onto the back of Arsene and the masked man holding a lance of pure Ziodyne, speeding towards the skies. The shining spear made of only light pierced through the hundreds of tons of stone and gravel. Its strikes of hot silver and electricity melted the remaining aftermath around it. Arsene did a wide arc in the sky before heading towards the other three, eventually doing an improvised rocky landing on the ground.

"Gah!" Akira cringed before falling flat on his back. Soon after his insane escape from the palace, Arsene had disappeared in a puff of cloudy azure, leaving him only fractions of a second to steady himself before he toppled onto the ground. While he was dazed from his landing, his masked alley had remained completely unaffected by their turbulent display. In fact, the man stood completely still, with the spear still in hand.

"D-dude what the eff?! We thought both of you were you dead!" Ryuji said hurrying over with a cracked voice. He ran like he never ran before, he wanted to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. A part of him was angry they left the three outside without any warning, but at the same time, they were alive.

"Oh my god, you're both alive!" Ann voiced out before going and hugging the two.

"An-Ann!" Akira was caught off guard by the sudden action from the pig-tailed blonde, making the trickster flinch and rail back. Both he and the older persona user were being tackled by Ann. Finally, to the boy's relief, she let go, only to feel a sharp stinging pain on his cheek. "Hey what was that for?" he questioned, stunned by the girl's actions, first a hug, then a smack to the face.

"Don't ever do that again." She scolded, water slowly accumulating in her sky orbs while her face flushed a tomato red. Then she turned to the taller of the two males with an equally enraged expression. The older man felt a sweat drop roll down his face. Luckily, before Ann could dull out any more punishments they heard Morgana yell for their attention and another familiar voice in the distance.

"Kill them! Execute them! Dismember them all!" A low, monstrous growl howled from the inside the ruined. It was Kamoshida.

"H-huh?! Wait what? I thought we got him good!?" Ryuji exclaimed in wide-eyed shock. Didn't the attack Akira and the other man charge up to kill the king!?

"Come on, we have to leave here now! We'll explain later!" Their raven-haired leader commended in panicked breaths, he grabbed Ryuji by the arm and used the other for Ann as he saw an army of shadows approaching from afar. He then eyed Moraga and the older user respectively giving a small nod before they all took off in the same direction, together this time.

Souji ran put one foot first and took off, throwing away the golden spear making it break into a million separate pieces. Just before the shape disappeared, it reverted back into its original form of Akira's black and dagger.

"You both have a lot of explaining to do after we get out of here!" He could hear Ann's protests to being forcefully pulled along by Akira during their escape. The shadow horde was closing in on them faster and faster. Close enough for Souji to sidestep a spearheading straight for his head.

"Whoa! Whooa! whooooaaaa!" He raised an eye seeing the Wild Card swing his friend, turning him into a human projectile, throwing him out of the palace. Ann was next in line, as Akira spun around and threw her out in the same fashion, causing the girl to curse him for his actions.

"You two are next-!" but Akira was the one feel manhandled instead. He felt his feet being separated from the ground and himself lifted effortlessly into the air. Souji caught Morgana by the head and the Wild Card, tossing them out together before exciting himself.

...

"Oh hell!...we...made it," The delinquent of Shujin said slumping and relaxing his body in the small school alley. It was hard to breathe with how much he had pushed his lungs in that escape from Kamoshida.

"Y-Yea…" The pig-tailed blonde replied next to him, still catching her breaths.

"It's good that you'll ok…" A blue-eyed cat meowed from a corner, the darkness obscuring his features. He sounded tired and defeated.

"Is everyone rested up?" A bespectacled boy leaned on one of the brick walls for support, a hand on his chest. He could still feel his rapid heartbeat—it wasn't slowing down anytime soon. He felt tired, he was exhausted, and he was close to falling over. The light of the evening was starting to have a stinging and burning sensation on his eyes. His field of vision shrunk as black started to cover more and more of his surroundings. Until he felt a cold metallic chill scrape up against his cheek.

"Ek!" He flinched, jolting him awake from his dream-like state of awareness. The chill reminded him of the deadly icicles from before, making him spring into action by kicking his attacker and summoning his dagger-

"Ouch!"

"Eh….?" Akira looked up surprised at the reaction, his glasses dropping a few centimeters from his face. What he thought was another murderous shadow turned out to be an older grey haired man holding a few chilled drinks. "Oh! It's you…" he said embarrassed at his reaction. Then again he shouldn't have tried to wake up like that.

"Sorry to scare you like that…" the man held in a snicker, the Wild Card was clearly still confused from his trip to the other world. Akira could feel a small speck of anger. His frown was clearly visible to his supposed attacker, making him laugh more.

"Ok, ok, here's the strawberry flavored Ramune you wanted...pfttttt"

"Thanks" he snatched the bottle right out the other's hand, a deep scowl on his face.

"Hey, people are trying to rest here…." Ryuji scratched his head with a lazy expression only to witness the strange commotion. He saw his friend madly downing a bottle of a popular children's drink while the masked man from the palace laughed uncontrollably. "What the….?"

"Here's yours by the way." The man turned, handing him a can of soda. He then went over to everyone else, even buying a small can of tuna for the cat. After they had recovered a little more they all gathered around in a circle.

"So uh...what was that about?" Ryuji eyed Akira and the empty bottle of Ramune. Only to make Morgana mentally facepalm.

"We should be discussing more important things stupid." The small feline meowed annoyed at the idiot blonde. They were getting sidetracked from the main issue.

"I second that" Akira nods, quietly hiding the small bottle. "For starters, he should be telling us his name." the irate student glared at the smiling older man.

"Agreed, not even I was aware that we had a fifth persona user." Morgana hopped up next to Akira, resting atop his shoulder. "So who are you masked guy?"

"Ah, sorry for holding onto that for so long, it must have been hard fighting with someone you don't know yet" The man seemed shy "I'm Yu Narukami, thanks for saving us back there." he ended it with a charming smile. Souji used the same faux name he had with the barista. From now on he had to be careful to not use his real name in front of others.

"Akira Kurusu, and no problem."

"Ryuji Sakamoto, nah you're ok. We should be thanking you for helping Ann-hey!" he felt a small nudge from his classmate.

"Ann Tamaki, nice to meet you." She smiled back completely ignoring the former athlete. "And uh...thanks for back then.." She flushed remembering how he got her out of that mess when she first arrived at the stone castle.

"Morgana!" The small cat cut in before anyone could say more. Seeing Ann give more attention to Narukami made the faux feline feel….uncomfortable.

"Anyway, can we finally get to the bottom of what happened back there?" It was Ryuji who voiced up this time. Back then, everyone thought the fusion was going to pulverize Kamoshida. Yet, it looked like it barely managed to reach the king.

"That was a calculated bluff. Frizzy hair and Yu here were to charge up just enough to create a diversion so we could escape in time. Besides, we don't really know what the consequences of killing the host of a palace may have on it or on the real person himself." Morgana explained in detail. It did make sense to draw all the shadows soldiers away to clear a path for the group to get away. But it was way too risky in the first place, so it was more of a last resort to diverting attention.

"W-what? How come you guys didn't tell us before?" Ryuji narrowed his eyes at the group. He and Ann at least had a right to know.

"This isn't directed at you Lady Ann, but we didn't want him to spill the plan." hearing the reply only made the blonde want to kill the cat more. To prevent another round of heated arguments from breaking out between the two Akira decided to cut in for the next topic.

"What about you both? How did you get in." the raven-haired boy asked, shifting to a discussion that'll bring less hostility and hopefully remind both verbal combatants that they were wasting their time. What he got next was each person individually showing off their phone screens and the pulsing candy red icon of the Meta app. Ann's smartphone came to life with a soft light from its thin glass screen. Meanwhile, Yu's older flip phone went through a similar process, only it was slower and harder to see. Both phones displayed the same application. Together, their silent explanations only puzzled the Shujin transfer even more. How a modern phone application can fit into a flip phone was beyond him. But the more concerning part was how both had gotten the app despite having no contact between him, Ryuji and Morgana.

"Well...mine just showed up randomly when you guys sent me back here" Ann spoke up, unsure of herself. She was just as confused any of the others here.

"I had mine for a while, so I can't really recall the exact time when this appeared for me." Yu was next to explain, his answer was unexpected. Souji couldn't tell them he got his within the same time frame as any of the others, as he needed an excuse for his more powerful Persona. If he played his cards right, then he could pass this off his more experienced abilities as Metaverse hoping in another part of Japan.

"I see, so that's why you were more experienced than us." Akira nodded, putting a hand to his chin in contemplation. He noted how Narukami alone was enough to make the castle shake and produced that electric lance from his dagger. "And both you and Ann entered at the exact same time too."

"Does that mean there are more Persona users out there than I originally thought?" Morgana said surprised at the revolution, but it made sense as Japan was a big place. If the city of Tokyo could house four users already, then there was a chance more would be out there in the never-ending sea of people.

"Since there's more out there, why'd you come here then?" Ryuji chimed in, actually adding to the conversation.

"Oh no, I didn't really come here for that." His expression turned grim. "I...have a sick relative here I need to take care of. I moved for the time being to keep them company."

"And then you stumbled upon the palace," Akira concluded.

"Yea, I felt there something off about your school so I came to investigate. Then this young lady showed up alongside me." He looked to Ann "Of course I didn't know there were already users in this area. But it looked like you all were caught in a pretty awful situation with that king figure. You kids shouldn't be in that world, it's too dangerous."

"We're sorry to have dragged you into this…" Ann's eyes directed downwards to the floor, her face only half visible through her pig-tails. "But we have personal business with that thing…" she empathized her last words, loathing practically oozing from the mention of said 'thing'.

"He's a bastard that's been screwin' with the entire school and does whatever the hell he wants!" Ryuji added in, pouring all his hatred and emotions for Kamoshida, putting them on full display. The man was pure evil, from actions to his words, he wasn't human. He beat the students daily and even drove a girl to suicide. The blonde balled his hands into fists.

"And that's why we have to steal his heart, to make him change his ways," Akira said with a stern, serious tone. "We have to go back."

"But have you noticed how many near-death experiences you have had?" Souji challenged the new Wild Card, the kid seemed willing enough but was his determination born from a blind rash hatred or a well thought out decision. "Think about what your families might say if you suddenly disappeared like that."

"T-that's-we'll be more careful next time and-" Ryuji was having a hard time coming up with an answer at the man's logic. It was true, he and others had almost perished several times, but survived out of pure luck and quick saves. If it wasn't for this older persona user's help then things might have turned out a little more bloody and gruesome.

"We all barely made it out of that castle intact and you all intend to go back again. Is it really worth risking your futures for one man to change his mind? Don't hear me wrong either, from what I'm heard he has done some pretty despicable things." He turned to Ann in particular and then back to the group again "However, do you really all intend to gamble with your lives like that?"

"Then what about you? You went alone right? Aren't you a little hypocritical for making some of the same mistakes we did? Aren't you risking yourself for your sick family for going in the first place?" Akira bitterly shot back. If the man wanted to make appeals to emotions then he would too. He wasn't backing down from destroying Kamoshida from the inside, after what he did to Shiho.

Souji pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes "Do even know how insane and dangerous it is to run through that world? I've witnessed way too many deaths due to shadow related accidents and each and every one of them had the exact mindset as you." His face darkened "I went into that place because I thought it was similar to the worlds I've been in but it seems like I was wrong thankfully."

"I don't mean to ignore your warnings Mr. Narukami, but we're going anyway…" Ann was just as determined as the others, "You asked if we were ok with risking our lives right? Well, I've thought it over and I'll do anything to bring that jackass to justice!" She didn't want her friend to suffer under that man ever again. She was willing to do this. When she first came to Shujin, she was always sad and alone. No one liked her, paid attention to her, or tried to even talk to her, yet Shiho was the first person to reach out to her. She was the first person that ever saw her for who she was and not her foreign appearance. She was the first to cut through all those nasty rumors and become her first true friend.

"Right? I can't wait till that bastard cries for what he did!" Ryuji backed her up. He remembered how that monster treated him and the volleyball team.

"And taking his distorted desires will do exactly that." Morgana meowed next to Akira.

"Hear that?" Akira gestured to his friends behind him "That's our final decision. Thanks for telling us the risks though, we've weighed our decisions very carefully." he closed off his statement knowing they would all put their lives on the line from that moment on. But they wouldn't be in fate's hands, but rather their own in how they chose to use them. If Kamoshida wasn't dealt with now, then who knows how much more suffering and abuse would be swept under the rug. He expected the adult in front of them to either leave or tell them but his next were wholly unexpected.

"Then I'm tagging along." Souji earned himself a few stunned looks. He knew they weren't thinking this response after his little speech. "I have more experience right? I can get us there faster." Just as Ryuji was about to protest Morgana spoke up instead.

"Well we are still lacking in manpower...and you did help Lady Ann" the small black cat mused to himself. In truth, they were majorly outnumbered and outgunned by Kamoshida's soldiers, so a veteran user like Narukami just might be the best blessing they could get. The man showed he was extremely reliable and one of the reasons they made it out alive. Lastly, he promised to help the group achieve their objective faster, which is always a plus, as Morgana needed to return to being a human and a speed up button would help immensely.

"I think he would be a nice addition to the team, would do you think Akira?"

"I have no objections to that, an extra person would be useful." Akira came to some of the same conclusions his feline friend had deduced. Having Narukami around would certainly make things a lot easier and the group could learn how to hone their abilities at an accelerated pace. However, he knew one of the reasons the men remained was to keep an eye on his little team. He understood the risks, but he felt a stranger shouldn't randomly put their life at risk for something that has nothing to do with them. Maybe that was a little hypocritical of Akira, as he was mostly helping to ease Ann and Shiho. His explosion was the last thing on his mind for it was a game of life or death for the new Wild Card.

"Then it's settled, we all take down that monster together." Ann declared there was a fire in her once blue eyes. Kamoshida will pay fully and dearly for what he did. She would make sure of that.

...

Souji walked up to the stairs of his apartment door, got out his keys and twisted open the door. When he walked inside he picked out whatever leftovers he had from his small white fridge. The man was in a rather good mood at finally officially forming a team with the new Wild Card. The four people had exchanged their contacts after their discussion and made the cramped deserted alley their new hideout.

He had learned some major differences between the Metaverse and the TV world, which he found to be very amusing. For starters, the usage of faux firearms transformed them into the real thing when one entered, or how stealing desires could change a person's entire perception of the world around them. At first, he had expected minor details being swapped around between the two shadow-infested worlds, but it looks like there was more to this Metaverse than he'd originally imagined. Observing the fights between the Wild Card's group had given him some insights into their combat abilities and how each individual handled their powers.

As far he could tell they had some grasp of summoning, but their guns skills amounted to wildly bombarding the enemy with a hell storm of bullets until they dropped dead, a far from the accurate and deadly precision displayed by Naoto. Their melee weapons were basic and failed to display the lethal ability they could have at their full potential, with Akira being the minor exception. Their persona abilities as far as he was concerned, were their only saving grace.

Either way, Souji was going to make sure the Wild Card wasn't dumb enough to get himself killed. Now he shifted to the cons of his day and cringed at he might have overplayed his weakness a bit, he might have to hold back even more than he would like in the future. Maybe he'll come up with another excuse later to patch that thought. Souji mused as he woofed down his leftover takeout, the thick aroma of the Chinese egg rolls and noodles filling his system. Then he heard his phone buzz, indicating there was a text for him. He opened up to find a private message from Ann.

...

4/15/X

Time: 8:56pm

AT: Hey, sorry if you're busy right now with work or other stuff. But I just want to personally thank you for saving me back then.

YN: It's alright, I'm sure many of others would have done the same if they saw someone in trouble

AT: And thanks for lending us a hand too. You were a big help back there.

YN: Don't worry, I want to see that man change as much as you do. Anyone who hurts students like that should be brought to justice

AT: Can you tell me more about persona? The powers I mean, not how they work but how to get better. I want to improve as much as possible for everyone's sake

YN: Ask away, I'm always open to help others

AT: For starters, how do I create that weapon you used to break through the entrance?

YN is typing…..

...

4/18/X

Time: 7:44am

RS: So I saw Kamoshida at the school gate this morning

RS: He was just standing there looking at me with this shit-eating grin on his face

AK: We'll get him soon

AT: We're going to the palace today, right? Ugh he was probably mocking you

AK: Yea we are, I've gotten everything taken care of

RS: Alright! I'm really fired up about this.

AT: I'm just as eager as you, but I'm still worried about Shiho. I'll make sure to not make the same mistakes as last time

RS: Don't we gotta experienced persona user on our side? Stealing that treasure is gonna be a walk in the park.

AT: Didn't you see him struggling too? He has his limits too you know.

AK: I'm sure he could have taken out most of the shadows one on one

RS: Why'd you say that?

AT: I do remember him easily overpowering the few soldiers when we first entered

AT: Oh yea, he was also the reason that place shuck

RS: Dude that's sick!

AK: That's what I suspected

YN: You all could have just asked

RS: Bro you were reading this the whole time?!

YN: yep

YN: I see we're heading out today?

AK: Yea

AK: Everyone meet at the school alley after our last class. I won't permit any late attendance.

….

RS: Damn you're scary when you're serious

...

Souji pocketed his phone once he got the message that the Wild Card was on his way. He leaned against one of the grey brick walls of the alley for support, a large guitar case strapped tightly to his back. The older persona user made sure to find a comfortable stop where he could observe what was going outside. From his position, he could spot several groups of students being dismissed, eagerly exiting the building. All was going well before he felt a sudden ringing in his head and placed a hand on his crown. His started getting double vision. The voices of the dead were once again slowly eating away at his fragile psyche, as clenched his teeth trying to regain control of himself. Taking a deep breath in and in out, again and again till he slumped to the ground. It was a while after his loss of consciousness that he awoke to notice three blurry figures.

"Dammit it…." He forced himself up, using his knee as support and pretended to act bored. As the small group of students got closer he noticed one of them carrying a fairly large sports bag.

It seems like the Wild Card took his time picking out weapons out yesterday at the faux gun store. Souji remembered rejecting the invitation, telling the others that he had work that day and insisted that he bring his own weapon instead. He was quite curious about what the others brought.

"Yo, we're here." Ryuji, the blonde delinquent of the group announced placing down the heavy school bag, zipping it open to reveal several new melee weapons and firearms.

"Sorry, we're a little late. We had a hard time explaining the enormous baggage." Ann reached into the pile and picked out a slender rose colored wipe and a medium size automatic. Ryuji was next and pulled out what looked like a detached piece of a water pipe, accompanied by a multi-round shotgun. The Wild Card was last, only getting out a small hand, the faux object paled in comparison to the other two more powerful firearms.

"So, you said you were gonna get your own?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow to the oversized instrument case Souji was currently carrying. "Is that it?" The boy was confused by the huge guitar case, was this Yu's idea of a weapon? A large string instrument used at sick song and dance parties?

"Yea, I had to get this thing shipped to me overnight." Souji cracked open the protective casing to reveal a long, graceful, silver katana. His most trusted sword since his days in Inaba. In truth, he had the prized blade at his humble abode the whole time, but how could one explain bringing such a hazardous thing into the big city?

"Wow! That thing's realllll?!" The blonde boy felt his jaw drop. The man had pulled out a real, live sword. Its blade glistened and glazed with the harsh sunlight of the afternoon sky. The beautifully handcrafted weapon mirrored his stunned expression with its reflective metallic properties. The stuff he was only used to seeing in movies and comics now appeared to him as the genuine article. It was hard to buy a blade of this quality in modern day Japan.

"That's quite impressive," Morgana commented, joining Ryuji in the viewing party.

"As real as you and me," Souji confirmed, flipping the sword's metallic edge back and forth, showing the weapon he genuinely treasured with pride.

"Did you use that back at your place?" Ann mused, feeling the sword.

"Yep, we've been thick and thin together. I would have fought with my full strength the other day if I had it with me." Souji took this opportunity to cover his weakness from the other day. "Although, I'm still trying to get used to fighting again." he gave a small smirk.

"You sayin' that was only you being rusty? Bro I can't wait to see what kind of ass you'd kick at full strength!" The blonde said excited, jumping at the prospect of seeing some sweet light shows and destruction.

"Everyone ready?" Akira finally chimed in with a smirk. Instead of adding to the conversation he decided to stay on the sidelines, taking in any important information he might need later. So far, he had gathered little information about the older user, he wanted to obtain the same power.

...

...

Souji felt the same sensations as last time as all five of them entered the Metaverse. The world rapidly contoured and changed around them until they were standing on old stone and gravel. When he came to his senses he realized he was back in his ridiculous costume from the other day and so were the others. Ann had her distinctive colored ruby colored suit, Akira's magician outfit and Ryuji's skull themed attire and all of them had their unique shaped masks. From what Souji was told before these magical set pieces were all part of their persona powers in the verse and a reflection of their hearts. It was still very foreign to the man. He was about to ask if the group was ready to go in before Akira.

"By the way, you'll both need your own code names from now on." The boy said it with a straight face as if it was the most normal thing to say. Souji felt like he was taking part in a movie, than hunting shadows.

"Oh uh, it's so we don't yell our real names out loud here or somethin'. I'm Skull, he's Joker and that's Mona. You both can ask Mona for the details." The Ryuji said, giving a partial explanation of Akira's reasoning.

"It's so we don't affect the palace around us, we can't really tell what can happen if we yelled our real names out loud," Morgana added in.

"Hmmm from judging from your costume and character…" Akira put a hand to his chin in deep contemplation, eyeing Souji "Kingpin!"

"Wait what?" Ryuji looked confused by his friend's suggestion.

"I'm with Ryuji on this one, plus I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to be called that." Ann noticed the older user's amazed expression.

"Because he's the strongest so far and looks the part." Akira gave his clear reasoning, one hand in the air in a finger pointing gesture.

"How about we shorten it to just King instead hm?" Souji couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with the new Wild Card. He was certainly unique in nature. He was sure he didn't resemble a kingpin by any means.

"No way man, that'd remind me way too much of Kamoshida." Ryuji objected, his expression souring, shuddering at being reminded of the perverted tyrant.

"I'll assure you I'm not like that, thanks." The older man said in a polite yet bitter tone, which made the blonde realize his mistake and quickly apologized. Even Souji had his limits.

"Maybe….he's the good king? You know, like in one of those fairytale movies." Finally, another voiced joined the conversation. Ann put a hand near her cheek, leaning on one leg. Later, she earned a few choiced looks from Ryuji, Akira, and Morgana. "What? It was just a suggestion."

"Dude…"

Souji could feel the increase in tension level in the atmosphere, with Ryuji and Morgana both having bewildered faces. "Let's stick with King for now alright?

"That's true. We still have to come up with a code name for Lady Ann." The cartoon feline agreed, with them spending another few minutes deciding on Ann's nickname, eventually deciding on 'Panther'. Together, the group of five walk toward the entrance.

"Hmm?" feeling a spike in a raw putrid energy Souji twisted around in a sharp snap. Behind him, he could feel the presence of a familiar blue door, yet he could not see it. He noticed how the new Wild Card had locked in place motionless, ceasing any type of complex movement, his eyes drawing a complete blank. No, no, no! This was exactly what he feared, feeling a mix of rage and annoyance, Souji stepped over to shake the boy. "Hey kid, you there? Snap out of it." He said in a controlled whisper, not wanting to alert the others. But it was to no avail. Akira was still, as a laden block of ice.

The older man cursed himself, not only was the room inaccessible, but he was pretty sure they would indoctrinate him into their little destiny spiel. His face creased and his eyebrows furrowed. He could use the compendium, but making enemies with the new attendant right with the boy thinking they were on his side would be a huge mistake. For right now he couldn't do much- wait, there was something he could do. Souji smiled to himself, thinking back he remembered one important detail that could help him, something that would make the Wild Card stay away from the blue hell for a while.

"Y-yea" Akira's delayed response caught everyone else off guard. Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana walked over, wondering what stopped the two.

"Do you know what's going on King? What happened to Joker?" The cat asked, clearly concerned at the unmoving Akira.

"No, no I'm fine. Let's keep going guys." Their leader scratched his head, feeling a little unnerved but otherwise fine.

"Are you sure? You randomly spaced." so the Wild Card was going to keep this a secret, that would be fine with him. However, judging from his split-second expression after he exited, Souji could spot a tinge of frustration. Maybe his work would be cut out for him after all, along with that he could also feel a new type of persona dwelling within his sea. Looks like Igor had had already made his move.

"It's normal. I tend to have these after a school day of headache." He said, referring to the grueling hours of work that would come with a Japanese high school.

"Nah I feel ya, still haven't started on my homework." Ryuji related to Akira's woes, further solidifying his lie.

"Well, if you so say." In truth, the small feline still sounded worried, but what else could he do?

...

...

A group of people stood before a largely decorated altar. A flurry of red rose petals scattered from above, as the chandlers from above dimly lit the massive crimson church. Akira could feel himself going into an attack stance, tightly clenching his dagger, waiting for a chance to strike. A heavy pressure sent him and the rest of his group off from their usual course of actions. He could tell something powerful and destructive was in the air, alarmed looks from almost all his teammates. Even know the place they were in was devoid of any shadows, or movement, they heard a deep, low voice declare itself.

"I see...So you're the ones who tampered with the library. It seems my time of waiting here has paid off…" Soon the floor started to splash and wreath with a familiar black tar, eventually morphing itself into a knight in mighty golden armor. Akira could tell now, the strong, pressuring vibe that he had felt before, it was all coming from this one soldier shadow. "Just as that ape there said, this place is a holy ground for our greatest King Kamoshida" it rambled on "It is preposterous for miscreants like yourselves to come waltzing in like this." Suddenly, in a split second of red, it changed its form again—this time in a majestic red angel. The soldier stood high and regal with a stern, angry scowl and a large European blade, ready to tear apart the intruders. Seeing the massive difference in power, Akira gave a silent signal with a wave of his hands, for his team to take formation. He knew they had to be careful around this one.

"You will pay for foolishly defying King Kamoshida with your liv-!"

BOOM

"Shut your face!" Souji took off like a blur, immediately closing the gap and cracking the Archangel on the jaw with enough force to send the creature soaring a good distance away, back smashing into the grand statue and his entire form exploding and scattering into small bits of ichor, mixing with the rose petals in the air.

Akira watched as Yu almost teleport from his position on the crimson apart, leaping into the air at supersonic speeds. All of them watched in utter awe as the man sent one single punch, denting the creature's face and sending it literally flying away like a piece of cardboard in the wind. It soon became one with the wall decor.

"Holy…." Ryuji's jaw dropped. During their journey here, the veteran had shown exceptional strength but taking down what gave off the pressure of ten elephants in one attack was beyond human. "That was...awesome..." he continued his astonishment. The others were equally, if not just as amazed at his handle work.

"You just took that thing out with one punch didn't you?" Ann asked, trying to confirm what she just witnessed.

"Whoa...that was beyond powerful…" Morgana said wide-eyed. Meanwhile, Akira was left quite speechless.

"Sorry, if I want a little overboard. His words were giving me a sizable headache." The man smiled weakly at the praise, he acted humble like he wasn't used to the attention.

"No, no! What are you talking about? That was sick!" Ryuji gave a huge grin "Bro, do you think you can the same to Kamoshida?"

"Sock him in the face hard," Akira smirked, in fact, everyone had a good time having that mental installed into their heads.

"If you all want to me, then yea, I sure as hell can do it." He answered back casually, raising his fist in the air. "There's no way I'm letting that guy hurt my pals."

...

...

Souji made his way through countless more battles and sections of the castle, racing through a lewdly decorated area, up some magically appearing stairs, and helping the small party progressive rather, quickly skipping what seemed like days of work and battles that prevented their infiltration. Finally, they stopped at what they assumed was the throne room, finding the tyrant relaxing on a golden throne below.

"Ok! We're in!" Ryuji whispered, being the first to sneak through a side entrance.

"Quiet down, idiot!" Morgana crawled beside the blonde, scolding him. They only had one chance at entering the treasure room and the idiot was not going to ruin this.

Quietly, they all made their way into a small plain looking chamber with two large double doors in the center. To say the group was nervous was an understatement, as they were told by Morgana that the treasure was most likely on the other side of that door. They all pondered what it could, what kind of item that was so special that it drove a man to become a deprived mad man. Gingerly putting one hand on the door, Akira he took a deep breath before pushing it open.

"Whoa, what is this place!? Holy shit!" upon entering the brightly lit vault of sparkling yellow and bright gold, they were greeted with a floating otherworldly light. A vast amount of wealth in solid gold littered the floor and various other treasures filled the king's vault. And in the middle, sitting in the center, a distorted glow beckoned the group to edge closer.

"Hey, what is this? It's...floating in the air." Ann got closer to the mysterious ghostly luminescence. Out of all the priceless treasures in the vault, the light was what caught her eye.

"It certainly does feel different from everything else here," Souji observed the ethereal entity. Could this be the treasure the shadow cat was rambling on about?

"Hehe...That's the Treasure. We finally found it!" Morgana cheered, leaping up in the air.

"Doesn't look like we can touch it, there's something more to this isn't there?" Akira reached a hand into the light, only to feel hot air. The faux feline said they were going to steal this thing right? Since he couldn't reach it now, maybe there was a way to carry it out.

"Simply finding the Treasure isn't enough. We'll need to make it materialize before we can steal it," the black cat explained "Desires have no physical form by nature. Hence, we'll first need to make the real person aware that their desires are in fact a Treasure."

"So we need to warn them?" Souji inquired, "Sounds easy enough." From what he gathered from Morgana's speech, they would have to send something to Kamoshida. What a pain, he could wipe the floor with that idiot shadow right here and now. It'd be even funnier if he dragged the real man into the castle, face his true self as they say.

"Exactly, and that's what we'll tell them, we'll steal your heart"

"So we're gonna send a calling card?! That's totally what a phantom thief would do!" They were not only calling themselves thieves but now Ryuji got to realize the full experience… only for the thief cat to sound unsure of himself. However, the group agreed to at least give his theory a try, if it was not their only hope of saving the school from more of Kamoshida.

"This is it huh? We're finally getting him back." Ann said, trying to confirm the events that had transpired during the last few days, she had been tearing up just hours ago.

"Yea, it's all or nothing." Akira gave a quick smirk. He was determined to steal this treasure.

"It won't be long now." Souji smiled along with his trickster friend, thanks to his efforts they had cut days off their plans.

...

...

The rain had come once again, washing clean of any pollution in the city air. Its cleansing properties had swept away any lasting stain on the spotless pavement floor. And just like the unrelenting droplets from the sky, four people leaned against separate walls in an alley, ready to clear the away the distorted desires of a vile and disgusting individual. They eyed each other, each with a fiery determination.

"So we send the calling card in the morning...and carry out the plan by the end of the day right?" A pig-tailed blonde piqued up, going over the last of their plans.

"Correct, the effect won't last that long. Are you worried?" The fifth, unseen member of their little group confirmed.

"Heh. Waited too long. We're going to pull this off, no matter what!" She was more than confident.

"So, who's going to write the card?" another meow could be heard.

"Leave it to me!" A new third voice chimed in, only to be shot down by the first.

"Why?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Why wouldn't it be me?" He fought with her.

"This is important. Are you sure you can handle the pressure?" She scolded.

"What if the school finds out it's you? They know our writings patterns from class." A bespectacled boy reasoned with him, pushing up his glasses.

"Agreed, we should have someone the school won't recognize." the cat said, turning to the grey-haired man beside him.

"You guys sure you don't want Ryuji to do this for us? I'm sure he'll do a fine job." Souji noticed how eager the blonde boy was to contribute to the team effort.

"See? Even bro agrees with me! Come on guys I want to get him good!"

"Alright, just be careful about it," Akira sighed, there was no forcing Narukami if he didn't want to.

Kamoshida would pay tomorrow….

...

...

Several shadowy figures dashed through the long, winding halls of the hostile shadow nest one after the other. Together, they had successfully alerted their host of their impending doom as they mowed their way to the heart of the castle. Today, king Kamoshida would repent for his sins. Today, he would face the truth. Akira motioned for his accomplices to follow, while Souji charged with his katana, running through a set of large golden shadows. Ann fired a few rounds before disappearing, followed by both Ryuji's Zio and Morgana's Garu spells shredding their enemies. They were almost there, just a little more.

"Everyone doing alright?" The leader of the group checked on all their conditions once they reached the double doors of the vault. They each gave a sound nod, smiling at each other before Akira slammed over the grand doors in a small gust of wind, revealing their target.

"Awwwww Yea! The treasure has appeared!" The tiny cat celebrated, throwing its small appendages in the air.

"Man, it's huge!"

Souji was impressed by the sheer size of the luxurious golden crown. Looks like the departed desires of humans were quite interesting. However, what caught his eye, even more, was how quickly the kid adjusted to his situation, turning in a semi-improvised leader of the small party. He really did have potential, now the only problem was saving that potential from being taking advantage of by that damned room.

"King, King you ok?" Souji was caught from his musing when Ann waved a hand in his field of vision.

"Oh, uh...yea sorry. Just tired from the run." He chuckled to himself.

"Are you sure? You were like this for a few minutes." She had a sense of worry in her tone, he had even missed Morgana's catnip freak out.

"If you're good, can you help us with this?" Without the help of Ann, both Ryuji and Akira looked like they were buckling down on the weight of the royal headwear, their arms and knees both shaking from the heavy object.

"Here, I got it." Souji walked over and caught the base of the crown with one hand, easily carrying it.

"What the-!?" Ryuji suddenly felt what was once a cumbersome weight float up from his arms. His jaw dropped yet again when he saw his new friend grab the crown like it was made out of cardboard.

"What?" Souji tilted his head confused.

"How are you doing that?" It was Akira's turn to be stunned, that stupid treasure was enough to almost crush his legs.

"Doing what?" He smirked, teasing the boy.

"Let's head out for now, who can discuss this later." Morgana's eyes narrowed, hearing the movement of something outside.

Akira whistled everyone out of the vault, leading the way while Souji carried the crown. He ordered Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana to form a circle around their eldest member in case of an enemy ambush. The last thing he wanted was Narukami being targeted with the burdensome treasure in his hands. Cautiously, they walked into the throne room floor.

"Careful there-!" The raven-haired trickster was caught off by another voice.

"Go, go! Let's go! Ka-mo-shida!" A female voice sounded from above, followed by a speeding projectile headed straight for Souji. No could react in time as it knocked the crown-!

"Not gonna happen jackass!" The veteran user lifted the crown and swung it with all his might, meeting the blow head on, slapping it right back at Kamoshida. He shielded Ann who was in the back, as the volleyball flew and smacked right into the king as he landed from the air.

"Ohhhhhh, rough landing there." Souji just had to add more salt into the wound, causing Akira to snicker.

"Why you little…" The tyrant's face was brimming with malice and creased into a nasty scowl. He got up with his cognitive Ann hurrying to his side, kissing his wounds.

"Hah! Take that you stupid bastard!" Ryuji shouted from the side of their intact formation. "There's more where that came from!"

"Hmp, Damn dirty apes!" The king raised his hands, dematerializing the crown from Souji's hands and returning it into his own. The object growing smaller in size in the process.

"How you dare injure the king! I'll dispose of all of you right here, right now!" The shadow declared with venom seething from his words. No one was allowed to damage his spotless visage. Let alone this low born thief.

"Like that'll happen you perverted asshole! You're going to pay for what you did!" Ann's eyes were already on fire, she wanted to watch this man crash and burn to the ground.

"Pft! That's supposed to be our line! Unlike you, we have a secret weapon on our hands!" the blonde smirked. They weren't going to lose to Kamoshida because they had their own king.

"King" Akira gestured Souji out from the crowd.

"Secret weapon? Him? Hahaha have you all lost your minds? He couldn't even survive my soldiers!" The lust tyrant cackled like a madman. How was one man going to take him down? They had the audacity of declaring that fiend their king too.

"Just watch and learn Kamoshida." Akira gave a devilish grin. "You'll be writhing on the ground soon enough.

"Go get'em." Ann nudged the group's 'King' bitterly.

"Hahahahhahahhahahaha." As the tyrant drowned in his own laughter, his size began to grow and consume the whole palace floor. Spirals of red and black aura twisted surrounding his now monstrous and deformed body. He was going to pulverize the dirty apes that dared to set foot in his castle. To think someone would even come and challenge his kingship too. Their very words had broken had broken the shadow! He roared with glee as he transformed into a grotesque, pink pot-bellied monster.

Ryuji took a step back as he felt the palace around him begin to rock back and forth at the appearance of the mammoth sized creature. He shook eyeing the gross liquid leaking from its mouth and its disgusting bulging yellow eyes. Its wrangling blue tongue was enough to send a small shiver down his spine.

"Nrrrrrrrrrrr, grahhhhhhhhh!" The shadow king let out a battle cry, alerting the gray haired male who did not look too impressed or intimated. "You disrespectful, no-good, shit eating brats! Haven't you been taught any respect? Do you even know who I am?! I'm going to snap his little neck in half and devour all of you!" the colossal demon slammed his large tongue on the floor, sending a small shockwave at the group, mostly in an attempt to stumble the veteran persona user but Souji did not budge an inch.

"Stay back." Souji ordered, giving one last look at the teenagers and casually walking up to the shadow, thunder condensing and crackling around his katana, illuminating the area while he kept his pace, blade resting on his shoulder with no ill effects.

"Huh? Do something!" Kamoshida yelled, growing more fearful with every step Souji took because there was something different about this one, the aura he gave off, his confident body language, the needle like static electricity crackling around his frame, all of it screamed a very painful beat down. Souji bolted the moment the shadow moved, catching his right hand in a grip, twisting it just enough to release the grip around the golden knife. "What the hell!? Die already you shitty brat-"

Souji blocked the next fist, the contact of knuckles to palm sending shivers and spreading numbness in the arm of the shadow, only made worse when Souji tightened the grip, dragging the pink demon closer, his almost soulless gray eyes staring into the beast. The stare churned his insides, staring into the abyss of never ending madness that was almost intangible, clawing at his throat and throwing the pink demon into a forever storming whirlpool of insanity.

"Let's have our own game of thrones." The grey orbs whispered.

The electricity that had been building up in his palms for the past few seconds was finally let loose and a massive amount of thunder boomed forward with a sickening sound, consuming the shadow and immediately silencing the howls that were about to burst through. Souji moved through the desperate slaps that were coming his way, thinking, looking back, smiling briefly at Ann before he went back on the attack, catching the next swing of the king's arm and launching him into the ceiling with the utmost ease.

"W-What is he...?" Ann blinked-

Souji launched his blade upwards, the cold steel cutting through the flesh on his throat and easily digging inside, forcing the shadow to claw at his throat in an effort to remove the steel but as soon as he made the mistake of touching the katana, another painful surge of electricity coursed through his body and then exploded out of the back of his throat, launching the massive shadows backwards-

"Amazing..." Akira said his mouth slightly wide open. It was as if there was a thunderstorm raging in the palace. "How the hell...?"

Souji moved as fast as the thunder that he had unleashed, catching up to the plummeting shadow in seconds and ducking down, summoning more electricity around his frame and blitzing into the shadow with another sickening boom. The shadow howled but was frozen, easily overpowered and brushed off as Souji plowed forward, smashing the massive entity repeatedly into the nearby walls, decimating his prize palace while the static slowly burned him from contact, opening up gashes on his body and drawing out more screams until-

Souji looked up and smirked, his gray eyes flashing blue with a thunderstorm storming inside. "Bow to the king..."

The cloak around his body exploded into a maelstrom of bright electricity upon his command, briefly illuminating the place until the volts were drilled into the pink demon, finally silencing the pitiful cries as he was burned from inside out, the almost godly Ziodyne building up in his body before detonating one final time, bursting through the holes in the body of the shadow until

Souji stepped back, letting the shadow fall backwards, defeated and utterly wasted in a few seconds. Meanwhile, Souji glanced at his palms, bolts still crackling around his knuckles and body."N-No! Please! Please don't kill me! I'll do anything!" A half naked, cape wearing man rolled onto the scorched floor, begging for his life as Souji slowly closed on his weakening body. The once proud tyrant crawled and struggled on the floor, looking for a way out of his dire situation. Water and snot started to drip and leak from his ugly visage. His whole body was burned and bruised from the intense electricity, patches of pink and red, covered all his visible skin. But its was no use, Souji only continued on, dragging his blade along with across the destroyed floor.

"The crown, give it!" Souji stomped, cracking the ground and snarled in low, commending growl.

"T-This?! F-Fine! Take it! Take it!" Kamoshida tossed the crown, for it to land in the veterans hands. However, should he really let him go? The mere mental image of the men in his palace attire disgusted him, and with all the stuff he did….

Kamoshida painstakingly started to crawl away from the demon in front of him, the mere presence of this thing frightened him, broke him and shattered any existing pride. He had to get away before it could catch again! He felt his entire body trembling at the might of this monster. He desperately clawed one hand after the one, bloodied tendons and bone showing from his arms. Just a little a more, a little more he would be safe. Then, he felt a large, dark shadow behind him, its haunted eyes peering into his living corpse. It held no malicious intent, nor disdain, but simple and plain apathy. He wanted to scream, he stretched his vocal cords, but nothing came out. He moved again, struggled, only to feel a cold, steel on his neck.

 _"What to do, what to do?"_ Souji thought. He's no stranger to killing already. What's one more?

Not to mention, he was the scum of the earth. The type that are so disgusting that even other convicts in prison take it into their own hands to punish pathetic creatures like him. Sure, maybe he had a family—relatives that cared about him and would be scorned in the collateral damage for his actions, but so did Shiho, so did all those others kids he's beaten to a pulp for nothing but his own satisfaction.

 _"Doesn't that sound familiar?"_ A girl's voice giggled into his ear.

Ah yes, so familiar... So familiar to that bastard he killed four years ago. The same person those Velvet Bastards kept a secret long enough that _she_ had to die. Souji's grip on the blade's handle tightened as all the memories kept flooding back in again as he glared at this sorry excuse for a human being.

No, this person was a disgusting creature. A creature that thought he had the right to bed for mercy. Too disgusting to be called human, but too pathetic be called a monster. It'd be so easy to tear this... _thing_ apart; to make him suffer the same fate as _he_ did all the way back at Inaba.

 _"Oh, decisions, decisions..."_

* * *

 **I see that Wes also likes cliffhangers. Can't blame her. I used to use 'em all the time—hell, I still use 'em a lot.**

 ** _Wes: cheap but effective is my motto_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Guest: Well, you're certainly out for blood. Not that that I blame you but damn, a lot of people seem to be praying to Khorne that this bastard gets it. Who's that? Proof that I've been getting too far into Warhammer 40k lately.**

 **Fatty635: Hope so, because this upload schedule is inconsistent as hell.**

 **Blahblahblech: believe me, with a name like yours, I won't be forgetting you that easily.**

 **Probably would've had this out sooner, but then I was hit with a cold, I was out of school for a week, and the following week was a big game of trying to make up for lost time/work.**

 _ **Wes: Guess we're both busy huh? Midterms were a painnnnnnnn~~~I can't wait until finals~~if I could sing in text right now I would be….**_

 **All in all, I've been hit with a lot of bad luck lately for some reason. Did I break a mirror? Cross a black cat? Pick up a curse or two?**

* * *

" _What to choose, what to choose…"_ The thoughts kept repeating in the veteran user's mind. It would be so easy to kill him now, Souji thought. It would be a service to us all, he thought. Cold steel eyes glared down at the sobbing heap below, watching and observing its prey. It would only take seconds to literally free these kids of their miseries. Preparing his blade in his dominant hand, he raised it slowly, up high.

"That's enough," a voice suddenly stopped him in his tracks—tracks that would only lead them to certain justice. He felt light steps in the distance, accompanied by a firm grasp on his arm; a crimson glove had reached out to halt his advances, preventing him from moving his katana anymore to pass judgement on this inhuman abomination.

Souji calmly turned to see his objector and saw Akira gazing at him with an expression all too familiar to him—the same one he always gave his friends when they were about to do something with dire consequences, consequences he would later regret; the one that always made him feel as if he weren't alone. Souji, knowing the next words that come out of his mouth were crucial, carefully picked his words. Too strong and there's no telling how they would react. Too weak and they'll think he's extremely volatile. Luckily for him, a creature such as this gave him the perfect excuse for his actions.

"Really going to just let him off?" The grey haired men shot back, returning his watch to the broken and bloodied thing in front of him. "You don't even know how that really works do you? Why even take the chance?"

"Doesn't matter what I think," Akira shook his head gesturing to his teammates behind him. "I'm just some kid who ended up on his shit-list list. Skull's had his dreams and leg ruined because of him, and don't even get me started on Panther."

"At the end of the day, it's not really our call." Akira said, letting the older persona user's arm go, "they voted to change this bastard's heart, and that's what I intend to do."

" _Dammit,"_ Souji thought, fighting the urge to hiss and growl. He almost blew his perfect nice man persona, ruining everything he had built up for days in a fit of rage—he was going to have to be more careful to keep himself under control in the future. The kid doesn't know what was good for him.

Such are the consequences of being undercover, eh?

"Tch," Souji clicked his tongue before grabbing the bastard and tossing him onto the ground, causing a sickening thud. He had missed his only window of opportunity. There was nothing more that could be done here without jeopardizing himself any more than he already had. Luckily for him, the shadow decided it was best to scramble away in a trail of tears and then disappear.

…

"The destination has been deleted," said an automated voice. It had confirmed the palace's disappearance, it was no longer accessible.

"So, we really can't go there anymore." Ann mused, she was glad they made it out on time again. After the disappearance of the alternate Kamoshida, the giant castle had fully collapsed in on itself without any warning. Souji and the others were barely able to make their way out. And just like all their other trips to the impenetrable stone fortress, they had all been sent back to the cramped dark alleyway. And like before, they were drained beyond belief, with some struggling to stand, or drop from cold hard exhaustion. That was, before she heard a small child like voice pipe out from the crowd.

"What about the treasure?!" came another rude exclamation from the voice, quickly rousing anyone from their dazed stupor.

"Hmm? Oh, right…" Souji was the first to react, reaching into his coat and pulling out what looked like a shiny gold medal. Held by a thick red ribbon, it glittered and shone in rays of the Tokyo daylight. It seemed invaluable.

"Huh? A medal?" Ann questioned, "Where's the crown?"

Souji took a closer look at the odd object, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Metaverse is just a product of the owner's cognition, right?" he asked, pausing for a moment for a correction that never came, "I guess that means to him, this medal _is_ his crown."

"That perv was clinging to his past glory and couldn't let it go." Ryuji shook his head, "Tch, bastard." So the medal was what gave him his distorted desires, it made all the more sense. And now they had taken it away….

"His he'll change now, right?" Akira was the next to react, inquiring into their bizarre situation. Even know he had stopped Yu by claiming their method would work, the boy couldn't help but have a sliver of doubt at the feline's words. Fear had turned into uncertainty, and uncertainty had birthed a tinge of disbelief and doubt. But the answer he would get next only fueled his horror.

"Probably," Mona answered as casually as ever.

"Probably?!" Ryuji repeated, not liking the sound of that. "Our expulsion is on the line here!"

"More like, your expulsion and what little future I have." Akira followed up in a bitter voice. Life as a 'criminal' in Japan was already going to be a difficult existence, adding in school explosion and he would be left with little to no options.

"Relax," Mona tried to calm the both of them, "the fact that his palace has disappeared alone means that his personality's taken a drastic change."

"Hope you're right about that—for both of their sakes." Souji said, tossing the medal to Akira, "catch."

"Huh?" Akira reacted quickly and caught the medal in his hands, "what do you want me to do with it?"

"Do whatever you want with it," Souji shrugged, "I don't need the thing."

"Be sure to let me know if it all works out," Souji patted the boy on the back, before turning his back to them and beginning to walk away, "I'm going to home to take a nap."

Akira took a look at the medal, giving a tired sigh after putting the object away. "I guess we can all go home for now." He said, tilting his head as a gesture for Morgana. "Come on Morgana, Sojiro will kill me if I don't come back with you." It was useless being paranoid now, they made their choice and there was no turning back from this gamble.

"I guess all we can do for now is wait…" Ryuji added, hoping that they managed to change his heart in time.

…

The next morning Akira woke with a strange feeling looming in the air. The atmosphere on his daily commit had felt different somehow. Maybe it was his aching anticipation over Kamoshida's change, or the leftover adrenaline from the battle the day before. Either way, he felt his whole body shake in pure suspense of what was going to happen today. As he grabbed a small bread roll from one of the station food stands and fought his way onto the crowded city commute. He couldn't help wonder the changes would take place inside the head of his dreaded gym instructor. Would his behavior suddenly shift? Would he really make a one-eighty in personality?

When the young Shujin youth stepped into the school assembly, he could already hear the many rumors of the mysterious calling card senders. From wild enough speculations, to others debunking the whole incident as a mere prank, there were countless opinions on the matter that excited the student body around him. To them, this incident might have been harmless gossip, but to the raven haired boy, it would alter the dead end path of what was his crumbling life. He was not going to be expelled. Balling up his fists, until they showed bone and specks of white, he saw a man slam open the two large double doors. And suddenly, a wave of relief washed over him.

…

"Just recently, a high school coach admitted to his school that had been perpetually abusing student. Given his prior Olympic achievements, this has caused quite a stir. What caused this habitual offender to suddenly confess these heinous crimes to his entire school? The police are hoping that the upcoming interrogations will bring light to this question-"

Click

"Following a shocking confession by a fellow educator at one of Tokyo's top educational institutions, first time Olympic medalist Suguru Kamoshida has been detained for further questioning in regards to claims of hidden sexual harassment and misconduct just yesterday morning-"

Click

"There is something deeply wrong with our nation's educational system if we've let people like that secretly lurk in the background of our country's top schools! Who knows how many more hidden Kamoshidas might be out there-!"

Click

"Kamoshida-"

Click

"Kamo-!"

Click. Click. Click. CLICK!

Souji sighed, finally turning off the TV in his living room and instead decided to focus on the intense, throbbing headache. He had successfully used the television as a distraction from the cursed whispers that had become his nighty torment and now settled down on the soft cushions of the family sized couch in his small living room, seemingly unaware of the world around him. He only snapped out of his pointless stupor when he felt the light buzz of his phone. Curious of what the new Wild Card and his group might have sent him, he flipped it open.

"Friends...?"

He scrolled through all their recent messages from their group chats, it seemed like he had messed a lot since yesterday. He must have been too focused on his nighty visits to care.

 **5/2/X**

 **Time: 9:03pm**

 **AT:** Thank you for the help back there :) Everything worked as we hoped... I owe you one…

Souji read the message under his breath and chuckled, almost wanting to type a reply, but he relented and scrolled down to check the other text he had received.

The second one was from Akira...

 **5/2/X**

 **Time: 9:17pm**

 **AK:** You did a great job back there. If you are willing, I'd like to ask about this power

Souji chuckled but stopped midway, the next bit reminding him of his failure in Inaba. "I'd like to perfect this power to help my friends, thanks again."

He sounded so...

So...

"Like me..." Souji bit his bottom lip, remembering that he had said the exact same thing to the bastard hobbit after the first time he summoned his persona to save Yosuke...

"Y-Yosuke..."

The little, miniscule amount of happiness he got from the two text messages was smashed to bits when he uttered the name of his partner, Yosuke Hanamura, his first friend in Inaba, his best friend and-

"S-Shit..." Souji felt the cold rushing into his limbs and the flip phone slipped from his grasp, clasping his hand to his mouth, he felt a surge of bile bubbling up from his gut and into his mouth. He felt disgusted, disgusted at the incident, at Igor, at the blue room, and what happened in Inaba made his stomach wrath and lurch in anguish. The world was beginning to shift and merge around him and his vision became increasing clouded, smashing his head into a wall in an effort to control the incoming surge of haunting memories but for now, he was alone in his apartment, not in the heat of battle and there was no respite from the failures of his past, not this time.

Souji stood up to his feet and made a run for the sink, only to trip over the bag of groceries and collapse flat on his face with a thud. He punched the floor to let out a bit of rage and powered back to his feet, sweat pouring down his face and his breaths more labored than before. His somewhat numb legs made an attempt to move but the male almost tripped again, barely saving himself by grabbing onto the sink and crawling his way up, all the way up until he was facing his own reflection.

Bloodshot eyes.

Sweaty face.

Horrified expression.

Messy hair.

Souji winced and opened the tap, lowering his head and washing his face with a few splashes of water, in an effort to knock the sleep out of his eyes because he knew that horrible nightmares awaited him. He furiously rubbed at his eyes, winced at the discomfort and made the mistake of opening his eyes just once.

 _"Congrats on saving them..."_

Souji looked into the mirror, gray eyes now wide open in horror because in the corner, he could see her...

 _"Big bro..."_

"S-Shit..." Souji started muttering, promising and swearing not to turn back. Not to look back. Not to throw himself into the abyss again but...

 _"Why didn't you save me...?"_

Souji's heart exploded with regret and guilt and the male quickly moved in the opposite direction, screaming in horror and falling flat on his ass when he saw her in the corner on his room, milky brown eyes wide open but dead, boring in his direction with clear hatred and contempt, potent enough to almost suck the life out of the Wild Card who scampered backwards, wincing when the back of his head met the sink, opening up a small gash and a shower of blood that matted his gray hair but Souji was least concerned, still frozen in the still exact position, almost curled up into a ball as the memories and hallucination lashed out at him.

"N-Nanako..." Souji managed to mutter, screeching and losing his senses when she took a step forward, the horror overriding his usually cool and calm nerves. He was possibly the strongest persona user on earth and yet, the sight of his deceased cousin never failed to reduce him to a mess in mere seconds.

But...

Along with the memories and hallucinations, there was this special brand of fear, a fear that he had experienced before, powerful enough to make him tuck tail and run like a lost boy without anything in the world.

The fear of a God...

 _"She's calling..."_ Nanako said and Souji started chewing on his fingers, knowing his legs would not carry him out of the apartment as they were frozen solid, like he was being held in place by the stare of the hallucination...

Or maybe...

It was the fear...

 _"Mommy is calling..."_

"S-Shit..." Souji shook his head, his numerous personas retreating back into his psyche due to the overwhelming amount of fear and guilt that quickly took over the sea of his soul. With every step he took, Souji started shutting down, accepting his demise and the incoming breakdown because his nerves were dying, the negative emotions blasting through his being and the smothering darkness quickly taking over his vision and then spreading to his soul...

KNOCK.

KNOCK.

In a blink, just as the sound was registered by his fading scenes, the hallucination went away, his soul came alive and Souji lurched forward, heaving and almost emptying his stomach as his mind and body reeled from the personal hell he had gone through. His fingers were cut open by his own teeth and the wound on the back of his head was pulsing, blood running down his neck and into his clothes, all thanks to a hallucination he knew was fake, not real but like always, his heart wouldn't listen.

"Can I come in, Yu?" Akira knocked once more, followed by another knock on his door.

"Are you okay, Yu? You've been quiet all day" Ann said, gently tapping the door, a hint of worry clear in her tone. "Hey!"

He heard a low growl out of the cat and got up.

Cracking the door a jar, Souji let out a grown to add to the image that he was half asleep, "yes?"

"Oh, we're just…" Ann fumbled between her words for moment before Akira stepped in.

"We're just here to tell you that we're pretty sure the change of heart seemed to have worked." Akira explained, feeling like he had just walked in on a very, very bad time. He felt a certain...negative energy in the air.

"Did it?" Souji asked, "Well, that's good." Not that he didn't see all the drummed up reports from the ravenous media the entire whole night.

Finding her words again, Ann spoke up, "We were also wondering if you'd like to do… well, go out with us."

Souji raised an eyebrow, "you… guys do remember I'm a grown man, right?"

"W-Well… yeah…" Ryuji had to admit, it was kind of strange for a group of kids to be asking someone in their twenties. "Y-You're still the only adult we can talk to about the stuff in the palace though."

"It's a celebration party for our mission accomplished! We couldn't leave out someone who helped us out you know?" Ann added in. It was true that the veteran user was a great addition to the team and halved their progress by days.

"Yea! There's going to be this huge fancy buffet and lots of good food and shit! You can't miss out on this bro." The article blonde piped again, excited to finally relax with his friends.

Souji sighed, "Hold on, I'll go get my things and brush up." He said before shutting the door.

It looks like they weren't going to be leaving him alone now, so he was going to have to make the most of it.

As he was done grabbing his coat, Souji couldn't help but wonder, how many more ripples in this puddle were there going to be?

…

"Man! It took you that long to get ready? I thought you were just gonna grab and go!" Ryuji sat wolfing down a big slice of brown tender steak. "We waited hours…" The blonde whined, it had taken their new friend way longer than he expected to come out of his small humble apartment.

"Ryuji!" Ann eyed her poorly mannered classmate, he was being unnecessarily rude. They were the ones that had barged in unannounced and disturbed the poor man's sleep schedule.

"It's alright guys, I'm sorry if I took a little longer than expected." Souji scratched his well combed hair and adjusted his nice, fancy coat jacket. It was a complete contrast to his normal self just hours ago, gone were his grossly matted hair and blood stained clothes, replaced completely by a well-mannered, refined looking individual.

"But did you really have to pull of this...look?" Akira rose in eyebrow, suspicious on how well the man dressed; in fact, it eerily matched the adult demographic in this restaurant.

"I thought we were going out somewhere fancy," Souji seeped from his tea glass. "Actually, I should be more worried about the clothing for all of you".

"He's right...we're really the odd ones out here." Ann gave a nervous look, realizing their group stuck out like a sore thumb among the sea of regally dressed people. She saw a few older women giving them dirty looks from the corner and a few businessmen with confused expressions.

"Eh, who cares as long as we enjoy ourselves, right? Not like anyone can stop us." Ryuji assured the group, wolfing down another piece as he talked.

"He's right, you kids should let go for once and relax. You've all been through a lot lately. Besides, we've all gone through worse him?" Souji gestured the older women from before "Just think of them as old ugly silky shadows and blow them with your imagery personas".

Although it was barely inaudible, Souji could hear a faint choking sound from Akira and Morgana at his uncouth comment. Other than almost accidentally killing the younger Wild Card by mistake, the older man caused the other two to look at him with pure astonishment and shock.

"Wow…" Ryuji's jaw dropped, he couldn't believe Yu, was a complete, and utter savage.

"That was amazing," Ann didn't take long to adjust to her friend's sudden bluntness. "I was getting a little annoyed at their constant stink eyes at us."

"If they don't like us, we have the same right to toss it right back at them tenfold." Souji explained his reasoning, while shoving a pile of rice down his throat.

"If they talk bad about you Lady Ann, they deserve the same treatment." Morgana agreed with the grey haired man, although his tone was rather annoyed, probably due to Souji stealing Ann's attention. However, little did the small feline know, this would only the beginning of a long, long one sided war.

"Yeesh, why do I feel bein' caught in a really tense battle or something?" Ryuji said, sensing the increasing heated atmosphere. There was something definitely going on with Morgana.

"Isn't this buffet timed or something?" Akira pointed out, seeing the other three hadn't grabbed much in terms of substance, but also to break the awkwardness that was building up between the group.

"Oh crap! He's right! We only got an hour to eat!" Ryuji sprung from his seat.

"And I have to go through the entire dessert menu!" Ann was the next to get up, scurrying off the nearest cake filled table.

"Look after our stuff! We'll snag something for you guys too, don't worry!" With that said, the article blonde quickly sprinted off like his female counterpart, leaving the remaining two humans and a cat behind. Only to let a said left behind person to take advantage of said faux feline.

"Morgana! you watch our stuff, me and Yu are going to grab some stuff ok?" Akira sat up from chair, gesturing for the veteran to come with him, leaving a rather confused Souji that went along with his request.

"Wait! What? You can't just leave me like that!" Morgana meowed hopelessly, how was he going to watch over their belongings when animals aren't even allowed in the restaurant….

"We'll be back quick, I promise." The younger Wild Card quickly dragged the sole adult in the group away with him. After walking a good distance away from their table and into the colorful food stands filled with all sorts of exotic delicacies did the raven haired boy stop. However, instead of picking all anything from the various amounts of mouthwatering dishes, the student's eyes were only set on one, particular section.

"Hey, you're a legal adult right?" The boy gave a sly grin, eyeing Souji with a cheeky expression.

"I see you have been gazing at the high grade sake table for a while now, hm?" The grey haired man returned a similar sly smile. "What makes you think I'll get it for you thought?" He smirked even more.

"Well, you don't seem like the most upstanding individual. I can keep Morgana from scratching your face off in the future, as he seems mighty pissed at you for stealing Ann," The boy thought of his offer, "Those claws hurt like hell".

"Hmmm, good point. I'd sure like to keep my handsome complexion." Souji mused, finding amusement in their little conversation. The kid was not as innocent as he looked, maybe he'll thank him later for this extra insurance. He would have gotten the alcohol for him anyway.

"Come on, help a friend out" Akira swung his arm in a dramatic motion, mimicking actors in a live theater troupe. "I promise I won't get in trouble. And if I do mess up, you can throw me to the wolves. Just this once…" This made the grey haired man paused to think, until he gave a long sigh.

"Haha fine, fine you win," Souji gave a defeated shrug, this would be the second time Akira has used him for something, the first being the defeat of Kamoshida. "Just wait here a minute so I can get a bottle".

"Thanks Yu-senpai! You're the best. So far you're the only adult that's gotten booze for me." Suddenly, the tone of the bespectacled minor changed, going from his normal default, to a high chirpy voice. If left Souji wondering if there something truly wrong with the boy.

By the time the two headed back to their seats, it was already filled to the absolute brim with various pies, sandwiches, cakes and other nicnicks one could pick out from the monstrous mass. Meat mixed in with the ranch, sweets cluttered together with the veg, and rice leaked from every corner available. It was miracle the table hadn't completely collapsed on itself from the sheer weight of its recent food accumulation.

"Hey, where were you guys? Didn't I didn't I say we would get you stuff?" Ryuji was the first to speak up about their absence. He didn't seem annoyed, nor irate at the fact that Akira and Souji had left their table particularly unguarded. What was even more perplexing was how each of the missing were now holding pretty large cups of coffee, very large cups of coffee.

"You two left me just to get coffee?!" Morgana growled from his hiding spot, "Couldn't you have gotten some back at Leblanc?" The small cat couldn't believe the boy ditched him for something so common and simple.

"Relax guys, it's just some drinks...just enjoy the cake!" Ann chimed in, only to stuff her face even more with multiple slices of fancy cake.

"It's not like we only got coffee you know?" Akira tilted his head and pulled out a white plate, but it looked different somehow. "We painstakingly asked the chef of this place to make some fresh Bluefin sushi for us."

"For real?! Holy crap! How'd you-!"

"Sushi!" Morgana jumped from inside his bag.

"It's a joke" But Souji had to ruin it with the sweetest smile.

"What-?! Man! Don't stoke me up like that!-"

"No it's not". Akira corrected with a grin.

...

"Ugh...I'm so stuffed!" Whined the artificial blonde. He couldn't eat another bite if he wanted to, yet the amount of food on the table was still to diminish to a manageable amount. Ryuji regretted grabbing so much, he was expecting a similar reply from his counterpart but…."H-Hey! How are you two still at it?!"

"Akira, you take the stake! I'll go for the fried rice!" boomed a loud commending voice. Souji and his fellow Wild Card were not stopping; in fact they were accelerating at an inhuman pace. The grey haired man gulped another batch of high grade Asian rice, scooping up another massive chunk.

"I'm not losing this battle to you!" Akira declared, stabbing voraciously into a large chunk of steak and tearing it apart like a savage. All the while chugging down his large quantity of black coffee.

"We'll see about that!"

…

"Ok! Ok! I forfeit! I give up!" came a defeated voice, he couldn't go on anymore.

"And I win." a deeper voice sounded from the table. Souji was just about finished with the remaining plates. There was no way anyone could beat him in an eating contest after that enormous bowl of ramen back in Inaba.

"Hic! How can you be so cruel!"

"How can any of you eat so much? That was grotesque." Morgana meowed, horrified at how much the two had finished off in their binge eating contest.

"Good going guys, I was really worried we couldn't eat all of this" Ann sounded more relieved than worried. Although she didn't help much in the first place.

"I'd rather face that Kamoshida again, than eat this much," burped an uncomfortable Ryuji, least fighting didn't mean bloated stomachs or feeling extremely sick.

"Right?" Akira took another sip of his choice drink.

"ughhhh...I gotta to the bathroom….this isn't good." Ryuji forced himself up, practically dragging his legs across the floor.

"Take us with you…" Morgana meowed, while his caretaker followed behind, gently carrying the fragile feline in his school bag. Akira was in a similar if not worse condition than his friend. Together, slowly and sluggishly, they made their way to the nearest hotel restroom.

"Huh, guess it's just us then" Souji said casually, leaning back into his seat. "So how's the situation at school? Is Shiho doing alright?"

"Yea the change of heart ended up working just like Mona said it would. Shiho's been recovering too " the blonde mused out loud, "Thanks again, for being there for us, I mean. We finally got to get back at that bastard". Unlike her previous cheerful demeanor, she seems to have a more mellowed aura.

"There's no need to thank me for that Ann, we all did what we could. And I'm glad she's doing well "

"It won't be long until she makes a full recovery too," the blonde gave a faint smile, "But I'm sorry that you had to take time out of helping your sick family for this. You could have used that time to help them, just like I did with Shiho…"

"No, no, it's fine. They would have killed me if I didn't" Souji gave a nervous chuckle.

"Huh, they don't sound like the polite type," She said jokingly.

"Nope, not at all," Souji gave a fake huff, earning a chuckle from the blonde "They're very stubborn and downright scary when they need to be."

"Sounds like someone I'd like to meet, let me know when they're better. I'd love to drop by."

"I'm sure they'll be happy to see you, have been telling them about all of you after all." The older persona user gave a an assuring smile. His lie will have to go on. After taking a little more with Ann, they decided to head to the dessert section.

"In the meantime, want to help me grab some more cake? I think I can still go for a few more for plate cleansing reasons." Ann, finally changing the topic back to the buffet celebration. Saying anymore would just awkward.

"Sure, ladies first am I right?" Souji stood up, winking and waving for Ann to lead the way, causing the blonde to have a small blush.

"U-uh yea, the cake table is to the left." Ann walked to a well decorated stand with two elegant looking chocolate fountains. The whole area was packed with various types of sweets and sugary delights. From pink colored strawberry shortcakes, to the more exoctic German black forest gateau, it gave the small cake buffet something new for everyone. Still amazed by the grand selection of treats, she carefully picked out a crimson colored cake slice with white cream tuffs on top and handed it to Souji. "Here, you should try this one, it's really good!" the girl swooned thinking about the layered velvet treat.

"Oh, is this red velvet?" he accepted the small plate; he hadn't had anything sweet in a while, even before his leave from Inaba.

"Yep! It's one of my favorites along with cheese and chocolate." Ann explained enthusiastically about all of her favorite cakes, each with their own unique flavors. "This one has an amazingly great texture and slowly melts in your mouth!"

"Really? I'm no good expert on sweets, but it does look appetizing," Souji took a small fork and stabbed into the white outer layer of the small slice, and like Ann said, the piece was really delicious. "Not bad, I actually kind of like this one."

"Right? Now try this one," The blonde brought another slice of cake, this time of the brown chocolate variety. "It's molten chocolate!"

Souji took another bite, only to experience pure bliss again, "I think I'll have more of that." He grabbed a few plates for himself, along with helping Ann carry some more. When they were finished picking out the last of the stranger looking desserts, they planned to return back to their table.

"We should head back now, I don't think I can hold anymore," The blonde said, holding different plates of cake. Carefully avoiding the crowd, she turned a corner, looking to make sure she wouldn't accidentally bump into anyone. When the coast was clear, she walked ahead, only to have a run in with an annoyed older women carrying a large plate that dropped to the floor.

"Watch it brat! Who do you think you are?! You better apologize for what you've done!" a richly dressed lady shouted, rising her fist in the air. Her face twisted in disgust that some kid had caused her to waste her plate.

"What? No! Why should I when you're the one who bumped into me!" Ann defended herself, taking a firm stance. She was not going to back down and become some ugly rich lady's door mat. But to the women, her words sting like a hot like a piece of iron, making her take extreme offense to this unruly child, causing her face to flush an angry tomato red.

"Are you blind?! You made me drop my plate with that stupid clumsiness of yours and you have the audacity to accuse me of running into a dumb brat like you? You are-!" Before the irate woman could escalate the minor incident any further, a grey haired man got in between the two.

"Excuse me miss, but this is a public area. It'd be unsightly to cause such a big scene when people are watching" Souji gestured to the crowd around them, all wide eyed and focused on the three. It was as if the whole buffet had come to a stand still. The older woman, even in her disgruntled state, understood the damage to her reputation it would cause. Yet, since the majority of the people here understood her pains, she should go on and berate this stupid-

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Came Souji again, although this time he played back a recording of the whole incident, whispering in a low tone. "Being the head of a growing company, we surely wouldn't want this leaked online would we?" he want on with his speech, knowing he had seen this particular women on the news somewhere for a popular small makeup brand.

"Why you little!" She balled her knuckles into a fist and wrinkles started to form on her face. "You're with that brat-"

"Nah uh-uh, this includes raged filled insults. Think about how much you'll lose," unlike before where his tone was a soft, polite whisper, it was a low threatening growl. And unlike before, his warm grey eyes were now that of a cold keen predator's. Suddenly, the woman had a cold shiver run down her spine, and feel the aura of the strange man drastically change. She felt immense pressure on her chest and every instinct in her body told her to run.

"..." She gulped.

"So let's pretend none of this ever happened and move on with our lives shall we? What do you say." He gave her a charming smile, reverting back to his nice man persona. This only made the lady fear him even more and gave an apology to Ann before quickly fleeing the scene.

"Huh, what was up with her?" The girl came over to Souji, somewhat confused on why the women suddenly left despite her previous rage.

"Well, I told her some choice words...recorded her embarrassment and threatened to submit it online." The veteran user said casually, pretending the whole situation never really happened. Then he felt a light punch to his side. "Ow! What was that for?" he turned to Ann.

"I was supposed to make her run!" her face puffed like a small chipmunk's and her brows furrowed downwards. She gave him another punch. He had helped her enough and she wanted to stand up for herself for once.

Souji raised two of his hands in a blocking motion "Ok, ok, I get it. You can drive her off next time." he started dodging her altogether, slowly backing away from the blonde.

"And as punishment, you're carrying all of this" She dumped all of her remaining cake plates onto the poor man, forcing him to shoulder what seemed like mount Everest levels of weight and pressure.

"That's rather cute of you-" Souji stopped mid chuckle to face the most brutal of death glares.

It was not before long after this that both Akira and Ryuji returned from their adventures in the stalls. The male blonde came first, while the raven haired boy followed closely behind, cat bag still in hand. However, they were not expecting the bizarre sight before them or Ann's disgruntled reaction.

"Finally! What took you so long?" She sounded somewhat annoyed with her situation, yet she had failed to get their full attention. Instead, both males gave a raised eyebrow at Souji, who was now acting as a human cake stand. Plates of various shapes and sizes were littered all over his hands and shoulders, with one even carefully placed on top of his head. The contempt, peaceful expression on his face made it all the more perplexing.

Ryuji, scratching his head and observing his friend's odd behavior then looking back at the angered Ann, could only deduce the situation. "You ok bro?" He felt sorry for Yu, because whatever he had done during their absence must have really upset her.

"He's fine," The blonde said in a dry tone.

"What did he do?" Morgana meowed from his bag, if it something really bad…

"No, no, it's not him that I'm mad about," Ann explained, uncrossing her arms.

"Wait what-" But Morgana was cut off as the blonde went on.

"Just that I had a run-with some woman a little earlier. She claimed that I ran into her and dropping her plate was all my fault. Even know she should have been the one watching herself." She twirled a bit of pigtails, not mentioning the part where Souji stepped in.

"Tch, sounds like a real pain in the ass, so it doesn't have anything to do with him then?" Ryuji almost felt uncomfortable for asking, with how calm Yu was behaving….it felt...wrong.

"Nope, not at all." The blonde chirped with the sweetest smile, accompanied by a silent nod by the human cake stand.

"Maybe we should leave that be" Akira patted his friend on the back, feeling sorry for the older man. Ryuji nodded, it was better not to bother with what happened. Although they did notice several adults giving the group dirty looks, which reminded the male blonde of their run in with an annoying set of grownups while they were gone.

"Guess you guys had to deal with a snobby adult too huh? We had a run in with some crazy people too." he gave a defeated look, bothered that these kinds of people were everything.

"You too?" Ann sighed, "I wonder if it really was a good idea to come here, the people here all seem to be full of themselves."

"Almost wish we could change their minds right" Akira take another sip of his black coffee, settling back down in his seat next to Souji.

"Change their minds? You mean like…?" Suddenly, Ann and the rest of the group had an epiphany. "Like how we changed Kamoshida's heart…." She mused out loud for everyone to hear. Her abrupt realization had reenergized the rest of the group.

"Hey Morgana, you think we can do that? Can anyone have one of those palace things?" Ryuji jumped onto Ann's train of thought very quickly, if they could change anyone with that power…

"It's possible. Anyone with a strong, distorted desire-"

"HIC!" However, before the small cat could finish his explanation, they were interrupted by loud hiccupping sound. "Sorry...I need some water." The raven haired boy of the group snatched up the nearest glass of water. "Ate too much, you can go on Morgana."

"If you so say," Being caught mid-sentence the feline sounded rather annoyed by Akira's sudden interruption. Soon, the rest of the group had brushed off the bizarrely loud hiccup noise and went on with the palace explanation, all but one person. Who was giving the bespectacled boy a faint smile.

Souji was setting completely still, still balancing the array of sweets on his head and arms. Although he had a contempt expression on the outside, the same could not be side about the inside. After going to this little diner party, he had thought the Wild Card and his small would disperse and return back to their normal lives. He figured after Kamoshida, he had gotten rid of their prime motivation to venture into that dangerous world, yet now they we're at it again. And this time they were planning to continue this on a longer scale, which meant fighting more shadows and possibly going the same path that he and his group had with Izanami. He watched unable to voice his true opinion, as the group of teenagers practically doomed themselves to a life of pain and misery. Was this all planned out by the velvet room as well? Did that deplorable big nosed man foresee this in some way, and knew Souji's first attempt would fail? With countless thoughts running through the mentally damaged veteran's head his body was beginning to shake with unbridled raged. Then he felt someone tap him gently on his shoulder.

"Hm?" He turned over to whoever just disturbed him with a neutral face.

"You can stop holding those now if you want." He found himself staring into Ann's sky blue eyes, snapping him out of his self-torment.

"Oh...thanks. My arms were getting rather stiff." Souji was freed for his banishment as the cake human stand.

"That's why you were shaking?" Came the blonde again, "Sorry about that, I didn't mean for you to hold those for that long." She followed up with a genuine apology, it was not right to treat someone who had helped you twice in such a bad way.

"It's ok, you were mad after all," The grey haired man assured his friend "Just please don't take out your wrath on me next time..." He shrugged jokingly.

"Anyway, Bro! So we were talkin' about names for our new group and wanted your input. You were lookin' spaced out, if there's anything you missed, we'll fill you in." Ryuji had a huge grin on his face as he gave a basic rundown at what Souji seemingly missed, although the veteran user was quietly listening to every word painful word all along. "So what do you think? Wanna help us out again to change some rotten people's hearts?"

"Wait, Yu only helped us out because of Kamoshida right?" Ann protested to the decision, realizing the veteran was probably only there to get them out of their difficult situation. Maybe asking him to come along full time would be pushing their luck too much.

"No, it's fine Ann. I said I was going to tag along before, so I'm willing to stick to my words." He took a sip from his drink, only Ann gave him a worried look. "Don't worry, I'll tell all of you if I have something going on that day, or have something to do."

"That's fair, he is an adult after all." Morgana stuck his head out of the bag, "Which means all of you have to work twice as hard if Yu isn't around to help us."

"Nah, we'll be fine. By the time that happens, we'll be able to kick shadow ass!" the artificial blonde exclaimed, excited about the start of their new group.

"I can teach you a few tricks for that, considering we both have electric based personas." Souji offered, he was already helping Ann. He had to seem friendly.

"Aw sweet! Did ya hear that? Thanks bro! I can't wait!" Suddenly, his sparkled akin to that of a child's in a candy store. Ryuji was in complete awe.

"He was already helping me awhile back." Ann couldn't help but comment on the topic, it was almost like a reflex.

"Ok, ok we can discuss training methods later; for now we just need to decide on a name remember?" Morgana cut in to halt their banter; they were getting off topic again.

"Oh right, that. So far we hadn't got anything yet. Nothing good anyway." Ryuji sighed turning to both Ann and Souji, only to notice they were missing one more person. He shifted around to face the suspiciously silent Akira in the corner, still with his black coffee.

"You ok?" He went over to shake the Shujin transfer, not yielding any response. "Hm?"

"Hic! Hic!" Was all that came out of the bespectacled boy's mouth.

"Uhhhh, is there something wrong man?" Now the blonde looked worried and so did the rest.

"HIC! I'm fine! HIC!"

" _Oh no,"_ Souji thought. The caffeine was finally reaching its limit, the alcohol was starting to kick in. Akira was in danger….

"M...my," The others listened on "My...we should name it…." the boy mumbled to himself. "My gay ass…" he was in danger...of being an idiot.

...

A sound of a motorcycle engine roared to life and sped through what must have been miles upon miles of ash and dirt, covering acres of abandoned mud road and gravel. As it rolled through the lonely grey mountains and across tainted rivers of soggy black water, it slowly made its way to its prime destination. Somewhere, somewhere in the dark wilderness, beyond the dead hills and decaying forests lay an abandoned rural town that quietly rotted away in complete isolation.

The small town of Inaba was once a beacon of civilization among the rural Japanese countryside and supported a sizeable, yet compact population of people. Every day they would go on with their daily lives, study in their schools, shop from their markets, and even crowd together for a warm new years celebration. However, now the humble place was no more. What used to be a cheerful and lively community now gave way to an empty, stagnant shell of its former self.

The owner of the vehicle stepped down, walking through its unkempt, garbage littered streets. It had been years since a live human being had paced through these forgotten avenues. Closed down and rotted buildings dotted along its sides, boarded up business lined up in every corner. Their faint, yet barely visible colored signs still advertised what was once their prime functions. Up until a few years ago this town was just like any other, then the mysterious killings started and then the whole area was covered in a thick layer of hazy yellow fog. The goddess in the shadows observed the lone female from a distance and pondered briefly about a possible move. Eventually, she refrained because she already had her hand wrapped around the throat of a much stronger persona user—her favorite pet.

It took a quite a few strings being pulled to order all the citizens to evacuate, even despite the strange phenomenon. Luckily enough, she had all the resources she needed for such drastic actions to be taken.

It was a bit of a ritual for Mitsuru to return here every now and then. Not because she's grown any attachment for this place, but because this was the best she could do to make sure the shadows in the area remained under control.

Within the 'TV world' as the persona users from around here would say, was something much stronger than any of the shadows she and the others took upon themselves to face. It wasn't too dissimilar to Erebus in that there was no way for her or her friends to truly harm the entity. If she was being honest, she wondered if it was merely letting her keep the shadows suspended, almost like it was waiting for something.

Whatever the case, there was nothing she could do about it right now. Even with the others, trying to fight that thing in its own world would be suicide. All she could do was this until a more permanent solution could be found.

Still, those other persona users that survived mentioned another Wild Card user—much like Aigis or even _him._ But, this also left one question…

Where did he go?

* * *

 **The past few weeks have just been a real pain. First I get sick for a week, then I have to spend a week playing catch up with school, then I have to walk four miles to school under an hour on a hot humid only to come home and learn that my little sister's sick. Was there some karmatic justice going on for something I don't remember? What the hell..?**

 **Anyhow, at least I got to write something again. Jesus, Wes, you made an 3k chapter jump to 8k with the buffet scene happening a lot sooner. On the plus side, that means I never need to worry about chapters being too short.**

 _ **Wes: There will be happy fun times and there will be said not fun times. You must have done something really bad Grim...**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Um… Yo? I-I'm running out of things here. As it turns out, writing AN/s is a lot harder to keep amusing without any in-fic characters to yell at or be yelled at. *yawn* And jeez Wes, how much are you gonna write? Last time you almost doubled the chapter if I recall. I'm only asking cuz… I get this distinct feeling like it's gonna bite me in the ass later.**

* * *

"None of these posts are any good. Everyone's just bitchin' about their parents or their boyfriends," Ryuji leaned against the side of the school alley, clicking away on his smartphone. The small group of four had met up in their usual hideout, being hidden away from the rest of the world and the glow of the afternoon sunlight. It has been days since the buffet, yet they still have not come up with a good target. "There ain't even a hint about a new Palace…"

"Maybe we'll just have to wait a while. It's not like big targets come around often," Akira reasoned, pushing up his obsidian frames. The young Shujin transfer pondered about their situation, was it really a good idea for them to be so active after Kamoshida? After the incident, he assumed school life would return to normal, but it was the exact opposite. Not only were he and Ryuji harassed about being suspects in the case, but now even more deplorable rumors had been spread about the two. If anything were to happen at Shujin again, he wouldn't be surprised if the whole student body and staff would use them as scapegoats. He secretly cursed himself, the more he thought about this the more complex the situation became. "Tch!"

"Are you alright?" Souji eyed the raven haired boy. He watched as his facial features slowly creased into an annoyed grimace, along with darkening black eyes that glared furiously at something seemingly invisible in front of him. One could only describe the boy's expression as pure rage.

"Hm?" Akira snapped back to reality, turning to face the rest of the group. "Sorry, it's nothing…" he gave a nervous chuckle. There was no point in getting the others more paranoid than they already are.

"Man, the last time you said that you got bro to sneak you sake at the buffet table!" Ryuji objected to his silence, there was no way he was hiding stuff from them again. He and Ann were lucky to even deliver their friend back to LeBlanc without rousing his caretaker's suspicions. It was a miracle. And there was no they could have brought Yu along, even know he was the one who caused this whole mess in the first place.

"He's right you know? Besides, keeping secrets from the group will make it harder for everyone." Morgana meowed, stepping out of the darkness of the alley. His brilliant blue eyes beamed with irate annoyance.

"Fine, fine…." Akira sighed. It seemed like after sneaking a little drink his whole group had decided to gang up on him. Before he spoke again, he shot a glance at Yu who was showing a similarly embarrassed expression. "I was just thinking about how me and Ryuji had instantly become the most two infamous students in Shujin overnight…"

"Infamous, huh? It's true that I've been hearing lots of bad rumors about you guys after Kamoshida." Ann couldn't deny the recent raise in gossip concerning her two male colleagues. Since the phantom thieves of hearts incident, people have been acting more and more cautious around the two outcasts. From avoiding infamous pair all together, to making up their own versions of what they did to Kamoshida. Life must be hell.

"I suggest you all lay low for now, rumors or not. We don't know what the school might do if some of you get in trouble." Souji advised, gesturing to the tiny group of three. It was critical that Akira and the others kept a low profile for now, unless they wanted the staff to closely scrutinized everyone of them. That would cost operation time and delays if they were ever on a mission.

"My thoughts exactly…" Akira sighed, "That's also why I'm thinking if going on another rushed changing spree wouldn't be a good idea. I don't want us to run into the trouble similar to what we did with Kamoshida if we're not careful. The threat of expulsion was deplorable enough, but what if someone powerful decided to turn us into the police or worse? There's also the issue of leaving patterns for the authorities the more cards we send out." Every word he spoke reminded him a little of the man that ruined his life. He was afraid to face someone like that again.

"That's true, which means we'll have to extra careful from now. It's good that you're thinking ahead of the consequences." Morgana leaped onto the boy's shoulder, "A good phantom thief always is one step ahead."

"Whoa...I didn't know you were thinkin' that deep" Ryuji said wide eyed, he didn't expect his raven haired friend to be so cautious. However, before he could say anymore, he soon heard an extra pair of footsteps approach them in their small alley. "Huh?"

"This is a fairly shady place to congregate you know?" A feminine, polite voice sounded from the walls of the cramped pathway, followed by a petite, modestly dressed brunette with striking currant colored eyes. She confidently paced herself, while eyeing the four figures cloaked in the gentle darkness. She had been tailing the raven haired transfer for a while, but to lead to such a sketchy place. As she scanned across the small area, she spotted Akira, and two other Shujin attendees, as well as a fourth older individual who she didn't recognize. "The Troublemaker, the girl of rumor, the infamous transfer student, and finally someone I don't recognize… an interesting combination."

"What's wrong with a few friends hanging out? Being the target of rumors from Shujin doesn't really make us comfortable speaking out." Ann shot back. She didn't like the idea of the student president snooping into other's businesses. Meanwhile, Akira cringed on the inside, he didn't expect a school investigation, but it was possible considering Shujin's reputation. All the student president had to do was collect some dirt on them and he'll have to say goodbye to his quiet student life. Luckily, the girl was caught off guard by Ann's comment.

"I'm sorry that all of you feel that way. I hope the student body understands and warms up to you soon" For a moment she seemed to shy away from their stares, only to recover and bombard them even further with her words. She first turned to the transfer "It seems as though you got to know Mr. Kamoshida pretty well. I heard Mr. Kamoshida used a volleyball team member to spread details of your past record. Don't you hate him? Mr. Kamoshida I mean."

"I would be lying if I didn't. However, I'm sure I'm not the only one considering the mass of students he's abused over the years. Maybe those victims should be the ones having a word with you and not me." The Shujin transfer reasoned, he knew keeping silent was the best option, but at the same time he couldn't help defend himself from her accusations. Something he wished he did back then….

"So is that a yes?" the brunette gave back a simple question, but she wouldn't get a confirmation.

"Hey, my friend here's a good guy here!" Ryuji jolted from his position on the walls, unknowingly helping him keep his mouth shut.

"I don't mean to offend. Many students have been shaken up by what happened with Mr. Kamoshida. The rumors about that odd calling card-esque posting aren't going away either." She continued to pry for answers, the evening light creating small creases and shadows on her face.

"That's quite a fascinating rumor isn't it?" The fourth and eldest member of the finally spoke up. The brunette didn't know why, but the presence of this new individual slightly alarmed her. "I wonder what they could have done to create such a drastic change in someone like that. Kamoshida did many unspeakable things for years after all. Almost seemed like magical powers, no?" Souji stepped out from the group, giving the girl a pleasant greeting.

"Magical...powers?" The short haired girl gave a questionable look at the man. "I don't think such fantastical possibilities exist in our reality sir." Although unlike her reaction, she notice did Sakamoto tense up at the mention of said powers. There was no way….

"Then how do you suppose these elusive phantom thieves managed to alter Kamoshida in such a clean and fast manner? Of course the most common and logical possibilities include blackmail, violence and the list goes on." Souji pointed out, "But the instructor turning himself in would defeat most of those methods. The authorities would have found out the threat material after his arrest either way and violence is an even flimsier argument."

"Don't you think I've thought this over?" She was clearly frustrated by her situation. After her assignment by the principal, she had mused about every single possibility, or methods the so called Phantom thieves might have used. However, she would always run into a dead end sooner or later. But to think this person in front of her gave such an outrageous possibility...no, maybe he was just trying to anger her. Yes, he was trying to make her seem like a complete fool in this argument. " I would advise not spreading false information around sir, it will only get you in trouble." the girl cautiously picked her words. She would leave and observe the group from a distance for now. There was no point in further arguments unless she wanted more insane dribble from the man. She will just have to catch the three Shujin students at school instead. Thinking she had done what she could for this encounter, she wordlessly walked away.

"You told her we used magical powers?!" It was moments after that Ryuji went back to being his usual loud self. The blonde youth was clearly distraught at the vague mentions of their methods.

"So what? Only a loon would believe in that stuff. As far as she's concerned, I was only trying to throw her off." Souji shrugged, turning back to his little friend group. Akira was already snickering like a little girl, Ann gave a faint smile, and Ryuji sighed in a wash of relief.

"Pft! You sure made it sound like it," Akira put a hand to his mouth to stop his laughter. "Now she's going to think dear old Yu escaped from a mental hospital and is now hanging with a few infamous high school children."

"If I escaped from a mental institution, then you're all my accomplices." The older man concluded, giving a huge sunny grin to the group, leaving Akira to recover.

…

"But in all seriousness, it looks like the school's conducting an investigation on us." The younger Wild Card had finally reverted back to his usual self, regaining most of his composure, "It's best that we all avoid her from now on."

"Agreed, she's quite dangerous. That girl seems rather sharp, we should be cautious of her." the faux feline added, hopping into Akira's school bag. "Oh and that reminds me, speaking of school matters, you three better study hard. There's time for being phantom thieves, but you also can't neglect your civilian lives."

"True, exams are coming very soon. We should study if we want to continue being phantom thieves" Ann added. They only have a few days left to prepare themselves, passing the tests were critical to making sure they won't get in anymore trouble with Shujin.

"I guess you got a point…" Ryuji gave a defeated look. The artificial blonde was not looking forward to the all-nighter cramming session he might have to do to catch up.

"If you guys don't mind, I can perhaps provide some study help if you're really worried." Souji offered, "I work as a private tutor after all." it was true that he taught a kid before, but not in high school education.

"You mean like in those cram schools?" the pigtailed blonde pondered. From what she could recall, those were quite popular among wealthy parents and many believed sending their kids would increase their school performance.

"Yep, I used to help a bunch of high school students cram before their finals. It's not that hard actually." The older man answered in a nostalgic tone, pretending said cram sessions ever existed.

"As much as we need help, we can't inconvenience you like that. We're already asking a little too much for you helping as is." This time, the younger Wild Card spoke up, the boy felt bad for dragging Yu into any of their lives even further. He had already promised to guide them further develop their individual personas.

"No, no, it's fine. Besides, I'm worried that the school won't be happy if any of you received unsatisfactory scores. I'm not saying you'll do badly, but it's a precaution for future missions. Treat this as a phantom thief matter; I won't let any members be held back because of their scores." Souji had to find a way to hopefully integrate himself into the Wild Card's personal life, as for now, he was only recognized as a phantom thieves member. In reality, they were still strangers.

"I guess...as long as it doesn't affect your workflow." Ann agreed, sounding hesitant, "If it's a phantom thief issue."

"Hey, bro said he wanted to help out, I don't see why he can't? No harm in that right?" Ryuji gave a large grin. He was the first to agree and the first to shift everyone's opinions in Souji's favor. The older really had to think him for that.

"If any of you get low scores, then it could be an issue…" Morgana meowed, seemingly worried at what the school might do. "Maybe you should take his offer." The faux feline eyed Akira, as if waiting for a final decision.

"Fine...if it means helping the phantom thieves, then I can allow that. But you're free to cancel whenever you want. I don't think you'll able to handle all three of us at once. The younger Wild Card gave an evil grin.

"Oh, what have I gotten myself into? Please have mercy on me, oh great failing high school students, my poor educator heart can't handle so much stupidity at once." His comment caused the older Wild Card to speak in a dramatic fashion, eventually coming to a wide theatrical gesture.

"Come on, we're not that bad…" Ryuji looked around for confirmation of his words, he swore he could at least do decent on the exams to pass. "But man, it's just so lame...I was all fired up about helpin' people, not about studyin'..."

"Well, I do have somewhere interesting to show you beforehand," Morgana chimed in, in a cheery tone. "You guys did originally promise to help me out with my mission, after all. Follow me!"

…

"So this is everyone's palace huh?" King whispered, observing the ominous scenery outside his driver's window. The never ending void of shadowy tunnels twisted and stretched on what seemed like miles and miles of rusted tracks. There was little to no luminance to the eerie place other than a faint red glow that followed the van, swaying silently back and forth akin to the light of a will o wisp in the dark. Watching closely for any shadow movements, the man cautiously rounded a corner, only to be meet by three crimson splattered walls made out of veins and solid concrete. "Another dead end…" he sighed in annoyance, this was the third one on this floor.

"Can't be helped. It's trial and error with this place…" Joker noted, sitting beside the older Persona user. The raven haired thief remembered how Morgana specificity stated how Mementos had a very irritating habit of shifting its floors every so often. It seems like they just so happen to run into one with multiple dead ends. Being the palace of the general public, however, this detail did actually make a lot of sense, as each person had a different consciousness. But the dark clad thief couldn't help but find the place to be extremely unnerving, as they have been driving for what felt like hours, but there wasn't another person in sight. He assumed the lack of life signatures was to be expected of a shadow filled area, yet seeing some of the familiar sights of modern day Tokyo beforehand made him strangely uncomfortable. It was as if they were the only humans left on earth.

"Hey Mona, didn't you say that Nakanohara guy was somewhere around here?" A male blonde with a gray skull mask questioned. It was true that the faux feline had informed the group that he felt the presence of the men's shadow a while ago, yet they were still nowhere close to the entity.

"He is. I'm sure of it," The cat bus said irked at Skull's comment, "But that's where you all have to find out."

"Don't worry; I'm sure we can find it sooner or later. Thankfully, this place has a finite amount of routes to explore." The eldest of the thieves assured the others, backing out of the dead end. To say he hadn't dealt with random shifting palaces before would be a lie, as the more he drove the more it reminded him of his day back in the TV World. When Souji was younger, he used to lead his friends through countless blocked passages and traversed through numerous changing corridors. The frustration he felt, the assurance he experienced, and the words from his team was always what pushed him on. Thinking back to the old times, back to Inaba, brought him a genuine sense of happiness to the man. However, just as fast as he had felt a gentle warmth bubble up from his chest, it was sniffed out just as quickly. Instead, it was replaced by a dreaded chill.

"Umm...guys, do you hear that?" Panther whispered in the deathly silence, there was faint rattle of something metallic in the distance. The mere presence of said sound had somehow drained all the air out of the atmosphere.

"Shit you too? I thought I was the only one hearing things" Skull tried peeking out the side of a passenger window, only to be meet by complete darkness.

"This isn't good...King, step on it! Hurry!" suddenly, a very much alarmed and shaken voice came from the van car. It was as if the tiny little feline could feel the sheer power of whatever entity was approaching them. This caused the entirety of the small party to jump from their sits.

"Got it, everyone hold on tight!" King, upon hearing Mona's cries, immediately slammed on the gas pedal, accelerating and shaking the entire vehicle as everyone was forcibly tossed back and forth due to the unimaginable speeds. The world raced around them, blurring their vision, as colors danced and distorted in the blackness, too malformed to form any distinctive shapes in the distance. The Mona car made a sharp turn and hopped out of the way as it felt what could have been a thousand Agis ignite from behind, burning everything to the ground. Thankfully, the older man had the reflexes to serve the car in the right direction to barely avoid the hazardous hell fire as it quickly resurged in strength and exploded in a massive pillar of orange light, threatening to fry everyone in the metallic box to a crisp.

"How strong Mona? Is it really that powerful?" The younger wild card shouted, taking one hand to support from himself from running face first into one of the car windows. The entire vehicle was shaking like a rollercoaster as the he watched the grey haired man make another ear screeching turn through the dark tunnels. They were speeding and cover immeasurable distances at this point, yet there seemed no end in sight from the tracks, nor did the creature chasing them ever seem to slow down. It was if no matter how fast they went, it made no different to whatever was tailing them.

"We just have to get away for now! I'll explain later! But we're no match for whatever is chasing us right now!" Another cry came from the cat car, followed by loud roar of wind that scattered into a green monstrous tornado that threatened to suck up the van into its deadly vortex. Joker felt the same sensation as being lifted upwards in an elevator, as the car was quickly flew off the ground in a chaotic motion. The raven haired thief looked back at his teammates in the back seat, only to see them holding tight to the car's seating in an attempt to steady themselves. Feeling countless sweat drops roll down his face, the young Wild Card felt a sense of pure dread encompass his whole body. Seeing there wasn't an end to the attacks he readied himself and take a deep breath, knowing there was possibly only one way to stall the horror that was going after them. His could practically hear his own heart beat burst one of his chest, turning back to the front, reaching for the car window. He alone would have to go out and confront the menace-!

"You take the wheel!" Before the younger could register what was going, he felt King drag him into the driver's seat, forcing help to grab onto the wheel as the older quickly climbed out to the top of the car.

"What do you think you're doing?!" The white masked persona user yelled, shocked by his friend's abrupt abandonment of the driver's seat. He could hear the older male pace onto the roof of the Mona car.

"Stopping this thing! You focus on driving us outta here!" King unsheathed his blade in a crackle of thunder, then rapidly summoning his prime persona. "Izanagi!" the man shouted, putting a hand to his mask. The call only takes several milliseconds as the god of thunder swiftly materialized behind the veteran user, surrounding him a maelstrom of electricity. He watched his foe before him, hair swaying and clothing swaying in the wind.

"Whoa, what the-?!" Skull peaked out the window, only to be met by a blinding flash of light that shook the very ground around them. It was swiftly followed by a deathly crescendo of thunder that split the very heavens, cutting through several pillars of deadly orange flames. He could feel the dispersed heat wave wash across his face, as their eldest member called fourth what seemed like multiple rivers of strong Ziodyne like lighting that quickly condensed into one colossal torrent of electricity, piercing through the darkness and into the form of whatever was after them.

"It looks like it's gone…." Panther whispered, looking back at the blackness behind them. After King's massive wave of Ziodynes, the evil entity had all but disappeared, but was that the truth? The air around them once again become immensely still and quiet, the only real noise being the subtle purr of the Mona car engine. However, their leader at the front seat still remained tense, and so did their friend up top.

"No…" The eldest take a battle stance, "It's coming...and I only made it madder…" he gave what seemed like a nervous chuckle to the others, but to the man, it was more a distorted laugh. The shadow was pissing him off, as much as he was angering it.

"Mona, are we getting any closer to the target?" Joker asked, calmly handling the car, the last he wanted as to throw King off by mistake.

"We're close, just a little more! I can feel it even from here." the cat bus concluded, "King, are you alright? You only have to hold that thing off for 5 more minutes." this time, the faux vehicle sounded genuinely worried. Would they make it on time?

"Just a little while longer, right? I can do that, provided with a little help of course." King smiled, referring to the two back seat occupants of the van. "Panther, can you weaken the thing with your persona? Skull, please perform a much needed Tarukaja. Then when you're both done, I want you two to summon and attack from the back with me."

"Huh? Y-you want us to help?" the masked male blonde looked at the man from the window, followed by Panther. Surly in the face of something that was powerful enough to take multiple attacks from King was a force to be reckoned with. Even Kamoshida was struck down in a few mere blows.

"We're the Phantom Thieves right?" The man gave a gentle smile. Everyone in the team has to pull their own weight. I don't remember being the only member of the group you know, so how about we who show that monster who we are?" The blonde punk could only look at him with awed and shocked eyes. Then almost immediately, he climbed on top of car.

"Persona!" He could hear Panther call forth her persona beside. However, unlike the usual ball of fire, this string of flames swirled and danced around the gypsy women, closely matching her movements. "Dance, Carmen!" The girl commended the women, which caused the flame to snake it's way across to the oncoming monster, the creature, thinking the fire will hit it head on called fourth a wall of wind, sadly it missed the sneak completely as it slipped it's way past, hitting the large shadow on it's back. It did little damage, but was enough to stun the skull masked blonde. Either way, he wasn't going to lose to in this battle.

"Captain Kidd!" Skull summoned his own persona, along with King in a barrage of grand blue flames. "Let's show this thing what we're made off!" A deafening crackle of electricity could be heard behind their back.

"Ugh, It's pissing me off!" Panther was next to speak, readying herself while forming sneak of fire.

"Good, because no one messes with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts…" King held up his blade, enormous amount of electricity starting to seep into the shimmering blade, transforming its once plane metallic surface into a raging cascade of pure lighting, illuminating their dark surroundings, acting as a beacon of hope. He could feel both Panther's flames and Skull's zios fusing into his own, forming a long pillar of the two elements that reached and burned up the ceiling. "GETS AWAY WITH IT!" In a blank of an eye, he swing the immense pillar, forcing the amalgamation of powers to be released into a roaring river that clashed with the large shadow, lighting up miles of empty tunnel, as it exploded in a mammoth sized fusion spell.

"Joker! Right there! That's the entrance to the shadow! Speed into it as fast as you can!" Mona yelled to the raven haired thief, who stomped on the pedal as hard as he cut, excelling the car's speed to maximum as it dashed into the growling red portal at blazing speeds.

…

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" The skulled masked blonde panicked as the car landed on the other side, practically losing his balance and almost tumbling off the roof of the vehicle. Until he felt someone grab him by the shoulder, stopping the fall. He glanced back to see King holding Panther by the hand, preventing either individual from making a dramatic face plant onto the ground below them.

"Thanks," Panther gave a smile to the man, as he helped her up from the van, soon all four of them were on the ground. It took a few second after for Mona to transform back to his cat like self.

"That was close. I didn't suspect a shadow as dangerous as that would be down here." The little black cat said, half uncomfortable. This was his first time encountering such a thing, a thing that made his spine tingle.

"You mean you didn't know?" Skull, feeling annoyed at not being warned beforehand, questioned the cat.

"Of course not. I've been here before, but this really is the first time something like that has ever shown up!" The cat lashed back, also frustrated by their situation.

"Is it by chance? We could have just been unlucky," Joker reasoned, if Mona had come many time before then what caused this thing to after them now.

"We do have a bigger group this time, does that affect mementos somehow Mona?" Panther was next to speak up. If it was true that the cat was alone before, then maybe more Persona users somehow attracted that thing?

"Hmm, I don't think so….but it did take us longer on a single floor than my usual visits." The feline pondered to itself. Did the amount of time they spent in a certain area affect them somehow?

"Then that's probably why," King crossed his arms in contemplation. "If the number of people had nothing to do with that large shadow, then this is one of the only factors I can think of that well."

"So there's a time limit we can spend on each floor before that thing comes after us again?! Is this a horror movie?" Skull exclaimed, not only did they have to fight off certain shadow, but now they had to watch out for 'it'. This left the young man exhausted and wide eyed

"Probably," The eldest of the group confirmed," But it's not like we can't fight it off again. After getting the taste of what the Phantom thieves can do, I doubt it'll come at us head on again."

"That was still pretty reckless…" Mona sighed, thinking back to how three of their members had decided to climb all the way onto a speeding vehicle. Metaverse or not, that was rather dangerous of them, yet it paid off in the end.

"Say, King, how powerful would you rate that thing? Have you fought stuff like that before in the past?" The raven haired thief asked in both curiosity and anticipation, assessing the massive gap between their powers.

"Well...I would say it'd be mid-range if I were to assign it a level…" The gray haired man mused in an innocent tone, almost as if he searching for the right words to explain himself.

"Wait, mid-range?" The others were stunned by his deceptively simple answer, was he saying the thing wasn't even close to being a monster?

"Yep," The man chuckled shyly, "If it weren't for the moving van causing some minor nausea then I probably would have pulverized it in a land battle." In truth, the others were in the way for him to go all, but he took care not to point that out.

"Hey, you should have told us that you might get car sick…" the pigtailed blonde said worried, her eyes become droopy. "That could have been dangerous…" Yet, before the older could gave a reply to her concern, they heard a new distorted voice intercept their conversation.

"Who are you?!" It hastily announced itself to the group, seeping in utter madness and loathing, as a pair of cold yellow eyes locked onto the others. After the thieves had driven themselves into the small room, they had all failed to notice the silent shadow in the corner. What stood before them was an angry, pitiful looking man, who looked like he was about to tear them apart any second for entering his domain.

"Can't you see we're having a group discussion?" Joker glared back, irate that this thing had cut Panther off. He and others certainly weren't in a pleasant mood after nearly escaping death, and this shadow just had to jump in to catch them off guard. Although facing the large being may have given them more guts, as this thing felt like a small fry in comparison.

"You come into my domain and lecture me-!"

"Yo, aren't you that Nakanohara guy! You stalkin' somebody or somethin'?" Skulled butted in to cut the man off, no one was taking him seriously.

"You better stop harassing your Ex, can't you see how she feels?" Panther scolded the shadow, utter disgust in her words.

"How she feels?! She's my property! I can do whatever I want with her! It's not like she didn't treat me like a plaything! What's with me doing the same?" the man's rant went on even longer as he felt the pressured stares from his societal peers, it sent him into a panic. He was shaking with rage, "There are millions of people far worse than me! What about Madarame…? He stole everything from me, but you're letting him off the hook?!"

"That's enough!" Then, a pure white dagger pierced through the floor beside the insulted shadow, causing it to jump in a slight tinge of fear. Joker eyes locked onto the poor thing, giving it a shallow pitiful glare "You don't have a right to talk right now…."

…

"Whoa, Akira... talk about showing no mercy" The blonde boy said in awe, standing near the subway station with three others. They were once again back in the sprawling sea of Tokyo's busy pedestrians.

Stopping the engine of the Mona car, Joker stepped out of the compacted vehicle and into the quiet first floor of the empty train station. Carefully making sure everyone got off one by one until the bus was empty, without anymore passagers to hold, the car reverted back to its true feline self.

"Nice job back there, I didn't expect you to go all out on that shadow." King patted the younger Wild Card on his back. Joker nodded with a smirk, watching his teammates make their way to the entrance. But instead of silently following their footsteps, his feet remained glued in place, as his attention was beginning to be slowly directed to a mysterious blue glow in the corner. Entranced by the dazzling velvet glimmer, he found his body automatically being drawn towards the blue light. Falling into an almost trance like state, he take a step, then another, then a third until…

"Akira!" He heard a voice cut through his foggy mind. Stopping to face its owner, he found a pained looking Souji, now off with his mask.

"Don't go towards that light," The veteran spoke in a grim tone, his eyes now two sunken silver orbs. He remembered how the alluring that blue glow always welcomed him, helped him, and saddled him with unimaginable burderns. Burdens that would forever remain and continue to haunt him for the rest of eternity.

"You...can see the blue door?" The raven haired thief asked in astonishment, freezing his body in place.

"More like I used to...listen, that Velvet room over there? It's dangerous. The entities inside? They don't have good intentions." The older strained his words, showing a genuine voice of concern.

"Used to? What do you mean? How do you know about this?" Akira questioned, closely eyeing the now shaken Souji.

"It's…" the veteran clenched his head, feeling an oncoming headache. Memories of his previous journey flooded back in droves, drowning him in a red sea of pain and sorrow. Recalling his time in Inaba had hurt Souji greatly. "I...no, let's talk about this another time."

Akira stood watching his friend struggle to form coherent words from his mouth. An unsettling feeling washed over him, halting any more anxious thoughts from racing inside his head. Rather focus on the mysterious of the blue room, he was now more worried about the state of the grey haired veteran. His last words sounded so strained and out of sync with his normal self that it made the younger wonder if there was more to Yu Narukami than he first thought. What was he hiding? How many masks did this individual wear?

"Yea, we can…" The raven haired thief mumbled, barely audible for the other to hear.

"Hey, are you guys coming?" Akira turned to see Ann and the others beckoning for their return to the surface and to the real world.

"You can go on ahead, I just need a few more seconds to straighten myself." Souji said, catching his breath and cleaning himself. The memories had really gotten to the man.

"Alright, but take your time." The boy nodded, walking to the surface.

…

"Ok everyone, textbooks out? Our next topic to go over is math," Souji erased the mini whiteboard, which consisted of several layers of neatly written explanations on English grammar. Taking a chance for a small break as the group shifted topics, he gulped a small cup of black coffee. The small gathering of high school students had sat for hours trying to cram in as much information as they could while seated in the small city side restaurant. Papers, notebooks, and so on littered the cozy dining table, accompanied by several tall glasses of fizzy water. However, their little congregation was many of the countless seated in the humble business, as hordes of people came together for last minute exam preparations.

"Can't take this anymore…." Ryuji uttered faintly, he was on the edge of fainting at this point. At first he thought Yu would be a lax tutor based on their previous interactions, but he was the exact opposite. The older man had somehow sped through history, Japanese, and English in less time than it took than most of their teachers. He was a monster.

"One more topic," The raven haired transfer yawned, "Then we'll be free of his evil wrath…" collecting his English notes, he unpacked his Math.

"Hm? Do I hear complaining? Should I add an addition of ethics and chemistry into our little study session?" Souji waved around two more thick looking textbooks, each complete with their own paper notes. Seeing the two large blocks of binded paper sent a raw, intense chill throughout the table.

"You're the one that needs ethics…" Ryuji turned away, mumbling quietly to himself. Luckily for the young teen, Souji decided to ignore that comment.

"Relax guys, this isn't that bad. " Ann said eating another slice of cake, the girl had paid attention with the distraction of her glorious sweets.

"Lady Ann's right you know? Your exams are tomorrow remember?" Morgana meowed secretly for Akira's school bag. The cat was the only one not being fried by Souji's cram school of hell.

After another hour of extensive of academic pain, the group finally decided to pack up and take their leave. Ryuji had gotten up first, followed by Ann as they said their goodbyes. However, unlike his friends, Akira lagged behind.

"Hey Yu, can I talk to you about something?" The raven haired Wild Card stopped the older man in his tracks. The boy had a serious look in his eyes.

"About our conversation in Memontos right? Where's Mona? That bag is empty without him." The two sat down at the table again, each speaking in a low whisper.

"I sent him for a walk, just told him the same thing I told you. No lies here." Akira seeped from another cup of coffee, this time, the genuine untampered article.

"So what do you want to know?" Souji sighed, losing his previous cheerful persona, readying himself for the oncoming bombardment of never ending questions. He saw the Shujin transfer do the same, gulping down a large breath to steady himself.

"The Velvet room, how do you know about it?" He paused with a simple question, a question he knew would make the man uncomfortable to answer.

"I...was once a guest there, similar to you now." the older replied in hesitation, a sense of melancholy gradually overtook him, his eyes never once making contact.

"A guest?" Akira mauled this over in his mind, did this imply that Yu too was a Wild Card? A persona user who could freely wield and store several personas at once?

"Yeah, but nothing good came out of it." The older made his answer as vague as possible, giving little details of what truly happened to make him stay away. Seeing his distraught friend after bringing up the topic again, it only make the younger wonder if prying for answers was a good idea. But he went on.

"Did they...give the power to switch personas too?" The younger asked in a low whisper, careful with his words. If the veteran had been a guest before, then surely he would have the same abilities as him. Although instead of hearing a straight answer this time, he saw his friend's face pale and crankle.

"That ability you mean?" the man nodded in silence, "You shouldn't trust them too much. They may seem as if they are helping you now... but they don't have your best intentions in mind." Souji recounted his memories in the room, fusing, deposing, and managing personas. How the residents had supposedly developed his Wild Card. A gift disguised as a cursed reminder for his time there. Something he will always resent.

"Best intentions?" Akira questioned now further intrigued. Now that he went over his thoughts he did recall the residents treating him fairly poorly. The way the long nosed man always spouted cryptic nonsense, or the creepy eye catching velvet twins that always frequented his jail cell. Did his friend have a similar experience too?

"I won't give you all the details. But know that whatever they say, or do for you won't be the best for your future. They suck you in with the promise of power and then…" The man made a ear crackling snap with his finger. "Ruin"

Akira could feel an intense sensation of dread overwhelm at the mention of the last and final word. It was almost as if the veteran had somehow magnified his own feelings of despair that directly crushed onto the boy. It suddenly reminded him of all the times of Igor's grim warning. The cryptic babble soon became a firm, crystal clear realization of the future. That he was already on a collision course with his own doom. "What do you mean by ruin?"

Souji, even in his unstable state, still studied the younger Wild Card. Noticing how his last words had struck some type of fragile cord, he realized there was more room to be explored in the topic than he originally thought. The way the raven haired kid's eyes shifted and shaked in his skull indicated a something. A sense of fear maybe? "That's exactly what I meant. Igor will lie and tell you anything that he wants to get you on his side" he tested the waters by putting a new piece of information. How would the boy react?

"So what he was telling me...something about my own ruin. Was it all a lie, so I can rely on him?" Akira put together the pieces in his head, assuming the velvet master had told the man something similar. If this was all true, it could explain why Igor refused to give any other reasoning, other than a ominous warning to Akira himself.

"Precisely. And it will only go downhill from there if you keep up the status quo. What else did he say to you? So far our stories have been quite similar." For Souji, it was a small white lie, a lie that could potentially help save the kid's life. He was surprised at how Igor treated his new toy, guess he decided to be more honest than he was with him back then. Finally showing his true colors eh?

"Rehabilitation…" Akira said in deep thought, eyes serious "Something about rehabilitating to escape said ruin."

"He makes you sound like some sort of criminal." Does the old loon even know what's he's doing anymore? Because it sounds like he really has gotten smarter, trickery through fear instead of righteous fluff and bullshit.

"Heh, funny. A jail cell is quite a comfy place to do visits. Did he lock you up too?" The raven haired Wild Card couldn't help let out a dry chuckle. Yu had guessed right, they did treat him like a criminal, real world or not.

"Not quite….but similar" Souji once again brought back his mellow tone, talking with Akira had marginally raised his spirits, but his memories had dragged him down again. The scene of that still moving blue limousine in the distant fog gave him a small headache.

"Are you ok?" observing the subtle drop in the older's tone made Akira feel he had yet again asked too much. It made him wonder what the room did to make the older turn out this way.

"Yea, I'm fine. Just don't go back to that place again…"

Akira was beginning to feel concerned for his friend. From the disturbed way he spoke, to the tired sunken eyes that had previously been focused and full of life. He had noticed throughout their conversation how Yu wasn't himself, or rather, it was a hidden part he had kept secret. There was certainly more to Yu Narukami the persona veteran than he originally thought. Would he become the same if he ignored his warning? What tricks or treachery would befall him if he did?

"Just trust me, alright? You don't want it to happen to you…" For the few minutes, there was a silent pause. Akira could feel the veteran peer into his very soul, waiting for the boy to decide on an answer. Numerous thoughts battled and clashed inside his head, scrambling his already bewildered mind. What should he do? Should he take the advice, or should he leave it be and entrust his life to the velvet room?

"You can decide later if you want," Souji noticed the amount of hesitation in the younger, "Just a word of advice." For now he would plant a seed of doubt in the new Wild Card, because it was the best he could do. He had failed to completely stop him, but it was the next best thing. And maybe soon, that seed would blossom into a full-fledged sense of fear and uncertainty, as doubts tend to do.

…

"Morning…" am exhausted blonde walked up to his raven haired friend. Both Shujin attendees had been braving through their school exams for the past few days. Together, they waited amongst the large crowd of people for their scheduled train to arrival. "Last day huh? I want to get it over with already…"

"Did you look over the notes Yu gave us? That might help on this final one." Akira advised, too bad it was a little late now to cram and refresh for the exam. The young transfer had actually took the time to study for once, unlike his friend.

"A bit….then I gave up and played some games instead." The blonde admitted guilty, all that hard work their friend had put into helping was suddenly wished down the drain. "But I still remember some of the stuff from the study group-gah!"

"Did someone say they didn't study?" The poor boy felt a sudden hand slam down on his shoulder, accompanied by a familiar deep voice, causing him to jump from sheer freight. He felt a deep dread arise from his stomach, as the dark aura intensified around him, halting any kinds of bodily movement. Slowly turning to face his assaulter, he caught a glimpse of a smiling grey haired man, holding a small bouquet of flowers.

"Bro! Don't scare me like that!" Ryuji stepped a few paces to regain his breath, the demon was here again. The others, instead of defending their friend from this menace, decided to stay on the sidelines.

"You didn't study?" A second voice came into view, less disturbing this time. Ann walked in alongside Souji, book bag in hand.

"Sorry….I lost focus after a while…" The male blonde admitted with shame, "Maybe I should I looked back at some of those notes bro," He gave Souji an apologetic look, lighting up his blackening aura.

"So you two came together today? What's with the flowers and basket? Going on a date?" Akira teased, which caused the small feline in his bag to poke out its head. Morgana jolted from his hiding spot and almost landed on the station pavement.

"L-Lady Ann! A-Are you really going out with-!"

"No! These are for his hospital visit!" Ann exclaimed, flushing in the process, "Anyway...I asked him to walk me today since I felt like someone's been constantly watching me." Her eyes shifted to the corner in a back and forth motion, emitting a sense of raw panaoria. She was sure a shady character had been stalking her intently for days.

"Luckily the train to the hospital is the same as the one that goes to your school. Sorry to intrude this early in the morning like this." Souji gave a subtle glare at a tall lanky man in the crowd. Once said certain individual noticed, they quietly retreated back to their hiding spot. He was sure it was that person. Akira also noticed the small shift in Souji's movements, indicating that the older Wild Card had spotted something that caught his attention in the corner. From their chat a few days ago, the boy had started to see the persona veteran in a different light. He understood the man probably more secrets and layers of masks than he ever imagined, knowing of the older's abilities, he probably already found said stalker.

Souji stepped out onto the train platform with the pig-tailed blonde and two others following closely behind, camouflaging the group into the massive of pedestrian. During the ride, he could faintly feel the presence of that certain individual in a nearby cart, boring holes into the female blonde. Watching closely, he and the others made sure to let Ann got on the escalators first, before walking on it themselves, only for the girl's face to crinkle in horror at finally spotting her supposed stalker.

"Oh my god! That guy got off! Isn't this bad?" She whispered, worried and frightened of her situation. Seeing she was really being tailed, she hid behind Souji, using his larger build out of the three males to mask her presence.

"It's ok," Souji gave a relieving smile, before nodding to Akira to keep an eye out from the back. She seemed to lose some of the tension she felt before from his words and carefully remained the taller man.

Ann was the first to step into the bright city daylight and wait as he friends got off behind her. Feeling safer with more people around, she inhaled a deep breath before strolling her way out of the swarming transit station. However, just when everything seemed alright, she felt someone reaching for her, quickly twisting around to see her stalker, she saw a slender looking man grabbing for her attention. Before the odd character could move anymore, he found himself being surrounded by three serious looking males.

"Is there something you want?" The slender male questioned puzzled, tilting his head to the look at both the raven haired boy and the artificial blonde. Instead of noticing Souji, who was giving an impressive death glare, he chose to question the smaller people beside him. However, no reply came, until all present heard a loud, rage filled voice.

"That's my line! You were stalking me!" Ann sped up to her tormenter, yelling and pointing in an accusatory manner. She was going to personally thrash this man if he was going to continue his creep behavior.

"Stalking you? That's outrageous." the man swiftly denied her accusations, seeming almost shell shocked that someone would give him such a dirty label.

"I know you've been following me! Ever since the train!" she wouldn't stop until he stopped playing dumb. During days prior, she had, had multiple scattered glimpses of his face and physique, she couldn't possibly be wrong. Yet, before the pig-tailed blonde could berate him anymore, they registered the sound of a nearby car halting in its tracks, accompanied by the rolling down of a glass window. Souji watched as it the tainted black glass revealed a familiar face of an older gentleman with long greyed out hair and plain kimono. He had never met him before, yet he seemed to recall his iconic visage.

"My, My, so this is where your passion led!" The gentlemen in the car gave a warm, surprised laugh. It was similar to an old grandpas' after watching their little children.

"I you both from the car...and I couldn't help myself from chasing after you two." The slender looking teen turned back his attention to the group, closely eyeing both Ann and Souji. "I didn't even notice the calls from Sensei...But thank goodness, I caught up to you two." He had a certain gleam in his eyes as he spoke.

"Are you ok?" Souji couldn't help but question the man's sanity. He's met his fair share of bizarre characters on the run before, but never this dense.

"You're the couple I've been searching for all this time! Please! Won't you two-" The slender male leaned in and pleaded with the Souji and Ann in a dramatic fashion. The way he carried his words and tone of voice reminded the older persona user of some over climatic soap operas. He really didn't like this man.

"Wait a minute! We're not-" Ann tried cut in, blushing and panicked by his statement-

"Be the models for my next art piece!?"

* * *

 **Update: Uh... fixed one major issue. You see, I accidentally uploaded an older version of the chapter before (Word had an error so it didn't save), so 1 major difference: no one knows Souji is a Wild Card. Erase that from your brain! It never happened!**

 **Oh, Yusuke… never change. Except that name. Seriously, who the fuck approved of Yusuke when we have a Yosuke? Are the characters that different in Japanese? Same thing is happened to Minato considering ATLUS seems to want to use Makoto Yuki, even though we have a Makoto Niijima and Yuuki Mishima. Goddammit, haven't they heard of the "One Steve Limit."?**

 **Oh shit, the chapter's ending on an odd number (i hate those). So, uh... time to ramble until the word count changes! Er... I played a game called Crusader Kings 2, and I fucking Sired the goddamn Anti-Christ! It... was... awesome!**


	9. Chapter 9

_**In response to last chapter: Dunno Grim. Never really planned chapter lengths that strictly. I just go until I feel like I have a good cliff hanger or stopping point. Anyways, thanks for the reviews and reads as always guys. I know I haven't been as active on ANs as Grim, but I will from now. Haha, actually planned to sketch something for this chapter with Souji, but ended up really busy afterwards.**_

 **How is it that the asocial high school loser ends up being the most social of the us? Weird…**

 **Blahblahblech: According to social states, all protags (Yu, Akira, and Minato) are perfect in just about every way. You know, what every 16 year old wants to be and never is… wow, that sounded a lot less dickish in my head. Ah well.**

 **Mixael: This just reminds me how long it'll be until we get to what is (imo) the good part of this.**

 **Alexaxegx: Well… it's here… hope you enjoy.**

 **Brick sheep: Considering he was a persona-user even before the events of P5, no. That being said, nothing says persona-users can't have some serious issues. I mean, if Adachi can get a persona, I think anyone can… and don't even get me started on a certain pancake lover.**

* * *

"Mmmmm, it's over!" Ann said, stretching her arms out in a wide circle motion into the air. The dreaded Shujin academy exams had finally concluded.

"You know what? That actually wasn't that bad…" The fake blonde next to her exclaimed in relief. Ryuji was expecting the worst, but it turns out Yu's ghoulish study sessions just might have worked its magic.

"Whoa, Ryuji managed to do well on the exams? That's new" Morgana stuck his head out of his caretaker's school bag. He was as surprised as anyone that their delinquent friend didn't receive outright fail on his test.

"See? I knew you all would pass." Souji walked over with a colorful array of soda pops and snacks, passing them out to the small group. The sizeable train station was littered with all sorts of stores and food stalls and it looked like the man had visited almost every one of them. "If you didn't, I would have been very disappointed." Although he had a pleasant expression on his face, his last words caused subtle goose bumps to raise on the others.

"So how was your hospital visit? Is your family doing alright?" Akira cracked open a can of clear fizzy soda. It was best to ignore Yu's last comment to not ensue his wrath.

"Yea. Thankfully my sister's condition hasn't worsened for now. But I'm worried since the doctors implied that there still might be a chance for their health to relapse again." Souji eyes were now downcast, and the air suddenly filling with a different kind of dread in the air.

"We're sorry for bringing that again. I hope they'll recover soon." Ann comforted the man with sad blue eyes. Akira and the rest soon followed.

"Are you sure you don't want to take off for a while? Being a part of the phantom-"

"No it's fine guys. Being apart of this help get my mind off of things. Besides, I can't do anything to help if I wanted to." The others watched the older man gave a strained smile. "At least here I know I can change something with my own power."

Akira nods giving his friend some space, before pulling out his phone. "How about we search for our next target? Let's change some heart for the better right?" He turned to Ann and Ryuji who quickly followed. The raven haired boy realized how important it was to keep his team's morale. If they were going to the Phantom Thieves, they had to stick together.

"Hmmmm...let's see." Together, several pair of determined eyes scanned through hundreds of scattered comments throughout the brightly colored Phansite. There were plenty of fake or even trollish posts that littered the message boards but among the chaotic writing there were some genuine replies. However, they were far from attention worthy, as most consisted of small schoolyard squabbles, or venting couples trying to get back at their angry spouse.

"None of these look even a little mission worthy." Morgana peered at the screen from Akira's shoulder. "The Phantom Thieves are not a service to settle petty squabbles." The cat meowed at some of the incoming requests, showing a bit of annoyance.

"No targets here either." Ann skipped several pages of comments, sounding disappointed. That was until they heard the most unlikely of voices chime in that caught everyone's attention.

"Yo guys, what about that Madarame person? Didn't we hear somethin' about him before?" Ryuji, after a while of looking, noticed there were standing right near an ad for his exhibit. In fact, the humble golden commercial had been flashing right in front of their faces for a while now.

"Mementos," Souji mumbled, "That shadow did mention a name like that, something about a corrupt teacher. Didn't we also meet a Madarame and a student of his this morning?" Mauling over what happened in the early hours of the day made the man's skin crawl. That kid was just awkward all around.

"Ugh….Don't remind me." Ann almost face palmed, recalling the embarrassment she felt when the slender teen assumed her and Yu were a couple. They tried to reason with the stranger, only to fall on deaf ears and handed free tickets to his teacher's exhibit and an invitation to Madarame's home.

"It's not a solid lead, but it's best we've got for now. Besides, Madarame is a pretty uncommon name." Akira concluded from their conversation. "Maybe we could use those tickets after all." He recalled how Yusuke had pretty much glared daggers at both him and Ryuji before begrudgingly handing them their exhibit passes. He thought he could sell his later for some decent cash, but occasionally change in plans do happen.

"Better than overcharging some poor sap for money. Talking to that art student might help with our investigation." Souji could see the cheeky transfer student smirk. He wasn't the only one that wanted to get far away from Yusuke as possible.

"Come on you guys, seriously?" Ann raised an eyebrow, noticing the subtle exchange between Akira and Yu. It would have been a waste to throw those tickets away, not to mention it was just taking advantage of the misinformed. The two chose to remain silent at her glare.

"Very well, as much I wanted to say otherwise, scouting out the exhibit might just be our only option." Morgana jumped back into his spot in the bag. " We can determine if this is the same Madarame mentioned in mementos."

…

Heavy rain scattered throughout the city, once again covering the large metropolis of Tokyo in a depressing grey vile. The heavenly droplets quickly seeped into the nook and crannies of the gaps and asphalts, creating tiny reflective puddles that mirrored bits and pieces of the large metropolis. Akira rushed through the streets, stepping into countless black puddles that splashed and danced in the cold city daylight. One hold hand clenching a clear umbrella, and the other shielding his school bag, he made made his way to a large crowd. Stopping to take a few deep breaths, he surveyed the large exhibit entrance to find a particular group of people. Spotting a bit of blonde in the sea of grey, he ran over to spot Ann and the other already lining up for the exhibit.

"Sorry I'm late…" the teenager took a few more breaths, "I had to do some work for caretaker in the morning." If it wasn't for Sojiro hounding him to help the last second then he would have made it on time.

"It's cool man. My mom sometimes does that to me too." Ryuji could relate his friend, while letting him into the cramped exhibit line. The amount of people that gathered near this area was absurd to say the least, as the queue wrapped around the building multiple times over. Apart from the general public, Akira noted several expensive large camera sets and reporter vans around the area. Madarame's show was shaping up to be an even grander event than he had first thought.

"This Madarame exhibit is no joke. If he really is our target then it'll definitely get our name out there." Morgana poked his out from the bag, only to be shoved back in.

"Mona, we're getting to the entrance. Get in." Akira whispered, gently calling for the cat to be quite, earning a loud yap from the small creature.

"If he is our target that is," Souji warned the rest. He would have to keep an eye on students from speaking out too early, or slandering the great artist, least in public.

"I hope not...otherwise Kitagawa must be going through a lot right now." Ann somewhat hoped their theory was just a simple misunderstanding. Because if Madamrame was anything similar to Kamoshida, she couldn't imagine how much pain Yusuke must be experiencing.

After standing for another five more minutes in the downpour, the group was finally allowed entry after showing tickets at the door. Shaking off their umbrellas and coming into the main exhibit hall, they spotted a familiar face coming towards the.

"Ah you came," said the approaching figure, a soft gentle smile on his face. However, instead of it remaining calm and sincere, that same face soon morphed into a condescending scowl. "You came…." Yusuke spat, turning the two behind Souji and Ann. Akira could feel the other's eyes bore into his soul. He was sure the artist saw him as some sort of untouchable piss stain on the floor.

"What'd you expect when you left us tickets?!" Ryuji couldn't understand why the teen would hand out free tickets, only to expect the receivers to not show up.

"Make sure that you don't get in the way of the other visitors." Yusuke, completely ignoring the earlier comment, decided to warn the two instead. He was really testing Akira's patience for asshole of the year. And to no one's surprise the artist turned back to Souji and Ann, only to switch faces once again. He wasn't even hiding it.

"Come now. I'll show you around. I'd like to speak more about the picture I'd like to draw too." The blue haired artist politely informed Ann and Sojiro, gesturing for them to follow along.

"Make sure to look at the art." Souji whispered and patted the two boys on the back, before going with the other two. Chances are, he and Ann would be the only ones doing real information gathering today. There was little the Akira could do other than wait around at the art exhibit.

"Ugh, not fair. How come they get to ask him, and now we we're told to appreciate fine art?" Akira could hear his friend groan at the thought of being left behind. "Aren't Phantom Thieves supposed to work together?"

"Because he'll likely ignore you two anyways. Beside, don't you notice something off about these pieces?" Morgana said observing the works around him, causing Akira to push him back in.

"I didn't know there were so many types of Japanese art." Ann paced around the exhibit, wide eyed at the countless variations in style and medium in the paintings. From the use of oil acrylic to fine watercolor, from abstract to figural, Madarame's exhibit was truly a grand sight to behold. It was akin to being transported into another world, a world filled with an array of visions of wondrous beauty.

"Mandarame truly is versatile in his styles" Souji played along, noticing how vastly different each piece was. He read somewhere that Madarame was most famous in honing and mastering many different art styles. However, he couldn't help but wonder if it was a little suspicious how one person could easily produce so many varying works. Not even the renaissance masters of old could achieve such absurdity. If the Madarama abuse theory is true, then the explanation for his differing works would be answered easily.

"Usually one concentrates on their own style. However, Sensei creates all this by himself." Yusuke explained, acting as a guide, "He's special."

"There you are, Yusuke." Instead of moving onto the next area in the exhibit, the group was stopped by an older sounding voice. Madarame walked to his only to Souji and Ann, "Ah, the couple from yesterday. Are you enjoying the exhibit?" The old artist asked kindly.

"Actually, we're not a coup-" Ann was about to correct the man before Souji butted in, wrapping a tight arm around the blonde.

"Yea, we've been dating for a while now. Isn't that right Ann?" The grey haired veteran gave a cheerful smile, making the girl jump and blush at his sudden change in demeanor. "If that Yusuke guy stops thinking we're a couple, he might leave us and go search for other models." Souji whispered to the blonde.

"Ohh! Uh! Yea! Me and Yu have been together for a while. He's the sweetest, see?" Realizing their target might be on the line. Ann grabbed Souji and pulled him closer. Her acting, along with her wild and panicked actions left the two artists in a bewildered state. Souji cringed on the inside as the blonde yanked his jacket and stepped on his foot; he was sure no one was dumb enough buy their acting-

"Hahaha, such youthful energy! I look forward to you capturing that wonderful passion in your next art piece Yusuke. Well then, if you'll excuse me." The old artist burst into a deep laughter, before walking away, which was also when Souji and Ann let go of each other, each giving a sigh of relief.

"Shall we move on to the next area?" Yusuke waited, supposedly confused at their bizarre actions.

"Ye-yes! How about that one!" Ann pointed to a darker, abstract looking piece in the gallery. It stood out like a sore thumb with its theme and colors. "I wanted to see this in person." Successfully distracting Yusuke, she turned to Yu. "Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

"Sorry… I was going over the Mandarame theory in my head and realized who had to act fast." Souji apologized sheepishly at Ann's death glare. The pig-tailed blonde was still a little irate at his sudden actions.

"Fine…" The Shujin student sighed. Seeing the veteran did save them trouble, she realized there was little point in taking the little argument further. "But do warn me next time before hand ok?" She nudged him harshly.

"Ouch, alright, alright, I will." Souji said in utter defeat. "It was the only thing I could do to stop you at the time." He made it look like he was solely focused on explaining to Ann, but in reality he was observing Yusuke. It felt like the aura around the kid had somehow changed once he turned to the painting. In fact, the young blue haired male stood static as a statue in the viewing area. Souji could make out the slight creases in his face and irritation in his eyes. It was as if he ready to go tear down and shred that particular work to pieces.

…

"Why'd you leave without us like that?" after making circles in the art gallery to find Akira and the others, the pig-tailed was extremely annoyed at their unannounced leave. It turned after several texts and calls later that the Shujin students were already outside the exhibit.

"You got it all wrong; we got dragged into this huge crowd and—Eh anyways. You both gotta look at this too. This post might be about Madarame." Ryuji was desperately trying explaining himself to his annoyed friend. He could feel Ann's wrath, but also saw Souji massage his arm. Something must have happened between the two, again. Deciding to focus on Mandarame since it was a better idea, he shared his phone with the others.

"A master of the Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil's works. Only his public face is shown on TV." The post read, raising countless alarm bells in everyone's heads. "His treatment of the pupils who live with him is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely as if disciplining a dog..." the comment further explained, suggesting the true appealing nature of the master.

"I didn't think much of it when I first saw it, but hearing 'shack' and 'Madarame' triggered it." The faux blonde added.

"That's a lot of slanderous information they're sharing. Do you think it might be a fake?" Akira went through the post again. On hand it sounded extremely exaggerated to be real, but on the other this could be a genuine plea for help.

"Could be a complete troll for all we know, maybe someone who really hates the talents of Madarame" the oldest of the group mused, leaning on the bars of the sealed walkway pulling out his phone.

"But if they're telling the truth, this it'll be a huge scandal." Ryuji said excitedly, already picturing the amount of fame it'll bring to the Phantom Thieves. Taking down someone this big would surely make people believe in their existence.

"I wonder if Kitagawa was the one who posted this. I mean, he IS a pupil of his." Ann reasoned.

"Who knows? It's anonymous and all…" Ryuji sighed, they may never know until they uncovered the full truth.

"In that case. It's possible the Madarame we heard about in Mementos is referring to the same one." The black cat in Akira's school bag meowed.

"Can't say for sure, it feels too much like a coincidence," Akira concluded, everything just seemed to fit so well. It was as if someone was constantly handing them a piece of a broken puzzle when they needed it. He couldn't imagine the trouble they would get if they this post was fake.

"How about we go find out ourselves," Souji stepped into the middle of the group, catching everyone's attention.

"How're we gonna do that? Can't find whoever posted this remember?" Ryuji scratched his head, puzzled by the elder's statement.

"Me and Yu are going to Madarame's tomorrow to model for that...art piece." Ann flushed thinking what poses Yusuke would make the two do. After a little more of explaining, Souji huddled everyone into a circle.

"Group meeting, starting now."

"Is...that it?" Ryuji said flabbergasted, silently eyeing the Madarame residence in pure awe. In his mind, he expected a slightly older looking building with minor dilapidation, not a literal tin shake put together by various rusted steel panels. Among the poorly slapped together boards, littered aged blackened windows and water stains from what looked like years of debris and damage. In fact, the home looked like it was about to fall apart at any second. He was surprised this bizarre Frankenstein of a house was allowed left standing, considering it was most likely an earthquake hazard waiting to happen.

"This is definitely the right address." Souji confirmed, spotting a name plate with Madarame printed on the front. "And it's giving off a similar vibe to your school, when I first came here."

"You mean there could be a palace like Kamoshida's?" Ann asked curious, looking around, as if trying to confirm the older theory.

"That's how I found you guys remember?" to be fully honest, Souji could sense something off about this entire city. Just that those distortions were small fry compared to the hot spots like most individual palaces. However, that feeling had gotten stronger lately.

"We should probably get to work." Akira handed his cat bag to Souji, along with miniature obsidian bag.

"First we have to see if we can get Mona inside the easy way, or the hard way." Souji scanned the beat up resident house for any sizeable pores or cracks in the infostructure. Luckily for him, there was one near the back. It was covered buy a few loose boards that the older man easily pried open. "Mona, I need you to go inside and place that black bag in a place where Madarame won't find it. But be careful not to move anything around too much."

"You can count on me. How can I call myself a Phantom Thief if I didn't know the basics?" With that, the black cat slide into the hold, disappearing into the darkness.

"Next, you two will check for keywords and scout inside the palace if possible. Go to a place where they can't easily see you." The veteran proceeded with the next part of their plan.

"Covering all the bases eh? We'll make sure to see what we can find in there." The raven haired student smirked along with his friend. Giving Souji a final nod, the two split off on their own.

"Do you think they'll be ok?" Ann watched the others run off, a hint of worry in her eyes. It reminded her of their first run in with shadow Kamoshida and his cognitive castle. Was it a really good idea to send Akira and Ryuji off on their own?

"Don't worry they won't be doing anything too risky in there, just scouting out the place for the team later. Even if they did run into trouble Akira will know what do." The veteran assured her, the Wild Card was quite self-sufficient.

"I hope so." She said in a sigh, "Now let's go distract Kitagawa." Seeing they were the last ones left, they approached the run down shake and rung the old looking doorbell.

"Takamaki, Narukami. I apologize for the wait." Frantic footsteps sounded throughout the aged building, accompanied by a quick call by a young teenager. After a few more minutes of waiting, an out breath Yusuke slammed open the door.

"It's ok, you were probably busy anyway. Actually, we should be the ones apologizing for bothering you today." Souji held a mid-size basket of multicolored fruits in his arms, holding in a sheepish laugh.

"We brought you guys some mangoes and pears since we heard online they were Madarame's favorite fruits." Ann's face lit up with a sunny grin, although she trying to also take a peek inside the house. From the corners of her eyes, she could see a small cat like figure shift around.

"Oh, thank you. This is very thoughtful of you. I will deliver it to Sensei right away." Yusuke's mood seemed to improve as time passed.

"No, we should thank you both for letting us attend that exhibit the other day. His works really are amazing!" Ann chirped, praising the Japanese master's pieces, even know she knew they were probably plagiarized.

"I'm a little excited to see the piece you'll draw for us. With a great mentor like Madarame around you must be pretty incredible too." Souji went on, "You parents must be proud of your studies."

"Actually, I was solely raised by Sensei since I was a child. He took me under his wing at a very young age. But I would not expect the same level of expertise as Sensei from my own work." Instead of his voice sounding smooth all the way through, Souji could feel a small strain in the young man's words at the end.

"Does that mean you were interested in art since you were a kid? You must have looked up to him a lot when you were growing up." Ann said, closely watching the young man's reactions.

"Yes. I was quite the curious child." Yusuke gave a soothing smile. Pulling out his smartphone he showed the faux couple a well painted artwork. "To be precise, this is what inspired me the most to become an artist. It's Sensei's maiden work as well as his most representative piece-it's titled the 'Sayuri'.

"That's quite the level of skill." Taking a glance at the skillfully painted work, even if Souji was faking it, somewhat impressed the grey haired veteran. The piece was a beautifully decorated woman in a red robe, staring mysterious at something unseen, along with a full background of gold and foreground of violet purple. "No wonder Madarame has so many pupils, I would be lining up to be his student too if I were younger."

"Other pupils? I'm the only one with Sensei right now." Yusuke asked confused, although since Madarame was so famous, it was probably expected of him to have more than one student anyways.

"Oh, we read online that there were some past pupils that left to pursue their own careers." The young Shujin blonde pulled out her own phone to show Yusuke. "But there were some bad rumors about Madrame from them too. Stuff like abuse, or him plagiarizing works." With the finishing of her final words, Ann could see the young man's face change. His once tranquil expression now bore a few new crease lines.

"I assure you both that those are just baseless rumors posted to slander and tear at Sensei's reputation. There is no weight to these outlandish claims. Please do not believe in untruths such as this." Yusuke stated in a firm, yet irate tone. The blue haired artist was absolutely adamant that Madramae was a good and just person. But Souji couldn't help but feel the young man got a little too emotional at the brief mention of some internet comments. Whatever, he had to reach out to the truth.

"Sorry for bringing that up. We didn't know at the time so were curious." Souji assured the disgruntled art student that they would never mention such topics again. He knew if he pushed further then there would be some unpleasant consequences.

"It is quite alright. Rumors like that do occasionally happen with Sensei. It is understandable since they are over there for everyone to see." Yusuke relaxed himself, his expression returning back its default state. But before he could say anymore, he heard Madarame's voice sound from inside the house. "Ah, I'm terribly sorry for not mentioning this earlier. I will be very busy assisting Sensei today. Please, I apologize for making you both come such a long way."

"No, we're fine! We'll just meet up another time if you're working right now." Ann said goodbye to Yusuke, along with Souji. They both watched as retreated back into the house, closing the door behind him.

"We should meet up with the others."

Several ghostly figures dashed through the empty black parking lot, making their way to the dazzling golden palace under a ghastly blue sky. With its eerily quiet exterior and creepily refined interior, it truly differed itself from Kamoshida's castle in both style and scale. While previous featured a clear medieval flare, this palace preferred the setup of most modern museum establishments.

King raised his blade and blazed through several shadows, leaving a burnet trail of black smoke and ash. The eldest member followed the others right after, with their raven haired leader leading the way. From infiltrating the mammoth building from a back garden to dropping down from an open sky roof, Akira had thoroughly planned their route into the large palace.

"Isn't that the guy we saw in Mementos?!" Panther said, stunned and startled at standing before a mirror image of what appeared to be the man they had fought back in the Metaverse. The features of the iconic black bull cut and glasses couldn't be mistaken for anyone else. Along with the cognitive painting, there were minor distortions to the portrait, as its mutated colors constantly swayed back in forth in its golden frame.

"This is only one of the things we wanted to show you." Skull gestured to the bronze nameplate below the artwork, "Madarame definitely knows who this Nakanohara is."

"Mona, you said palaces are a reflection of a person's heart right?" Joker questioned the cat, "If that's true then wouldn't Madarame know Nakanohara?"

"That is a possibility. Considering what he said back in Mementos, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the same Madarame he was referring to." The small feline went up to the painting and confirmed the details. This eliminated the chance that this was just a lookalike.

"That's not all either. You all gotta check this next one out" The younger Zio user of the group lead Souji and the others to another portrait. This one, a little further away from the rest; It was one of the biggest and most vivid that contrasted the entire museum floor. Its bright purples and lessening distortions made it special among all others.

"Yusuke Kitagawa…" King read on the name plaque right beside the grand masterpiece. "He's the only remaining pupils of Madarame."

"So Nakanohara was probably under him before?" Panther remembered back to the wrapped painting of the middle aged man she just witnessed. Every word his shadow had said back in Mementos now started to make much more sense.

"This must include former pupils as well." Morgana surveyed the area around them, taking in the vastly different arrangement of faces also framed on the walls. It was a wonder how many pupils Madarame had had and forgotten throughout his time throughout the years. Moving on into the main lobby where everyone noted the presence of palace cameras, Akira lead his party into a small grey tunnel filled with bolded text explaining the greatness of Madarame and his museum. What they saw next could only be expressed in a mix of both beauty and horror.

"What is that…?" Taking notice of the elaborate glimmering statue that stretched on with seemingly no end in sight, Souji saw a torrent of golden figures being forcefully tossed and blown in its abstract waters, all headed towards some unknown destination.

"The infinite Spring." The sole female member of the group read the name plaque out loud, "A conglomerate work of art that the great director Madarame created with his own funds. These individuals must offer their ideas to the director for the rest of their lives," She continued on, a hint of anger ever so growing her voice, "Those who cannot do so have no worth living?"

"Doesn't this align with the plagiarism theory? Skull and I were just as confused at the portraits when we first arrive here, but with this statue everything started to clear up and make more sense." Joker explained, giving good reason to bring everyone to the palace, so they could witness Madarame's true nature for themselves.

"Kitagawa's definitely been covering for his mentor." King was sure the old Japanese master was guilty, yet he felt some members in the group were still somewhat hesitant. Panther in particular still believed in the kindness of the older man, as he had shown no signs of being a tyrant to anyone, even at

the house.

"Shouldn't we steal his treasure now? His palace isn't exactly screaming good person right now." Skull pushed for the others to tackle the museum already. If a palace reflected one's true thoughts, then concrete evidence or not, Madarame was a terrible person.

"I want to confirm this with Kitagawa first...it just doesn't seem right to change someone that close to him without knowing the truth." Crossing her arms and looking to the floor, Panther felt uncomfortable at the notion of stealing from Madarame. "He even said Madarame was the only one who raised him as a child. I can't imagine taking away his only parental figure like that..." Once the group had gotten together they exchanged what they had gathered, including Kitagawa's conservation and Morgana's house infiltration.

"True...we don't know much about their normal relationship either. And since he's been living so long with Madarame, we can't predicate what type of shock or damage it might do to Kitagawa if he saw his father figure suddenly confess and taken away, abuse or not." Morgana added on, thinking of what may happen if they changed Madarame out of the blue.

"How about I go ask him the next time we model," She turned to King, "I'm sure I can get an answer out of him." Panther was giving him the same determined eyes from before, when she refused to run away from Kamoshida.

"I don't mean to stop you Panther, but you saw how Kitagawa reacted to the mention of those rumors back at the house," The eldest argued, "If the brief mention of insults of Madarame can anger him, I can't imagine what he'll think if you directly told him off about his teacher." King was not going to let the group risk trouble. His eyes drooped and his barrows creased downwards. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Well uhh…" She could feel her cheeks flush a cheery red, matching the hues of her bright red outfit. Luckily, her mask did cover up most of her face, so her surprise was less visible. Meanwhile, both Morgana and Skull jaw dropped in the back.

"You know what? If Panther's going to get into trouble, we can all get in it with her." Joker announced, "We made it out without getting expelled by Kamoshida, so whatever Kitagawa will throw at us won't be anything special."

"Yea, we're going to get the truth together!" Skull was now back in high spirits, "And if anything goes wrong, we'll all help out Panther."

"I will always be by your side lady Ann." Morgana walked over to the red clad female.

"So what about it King?" Joker reached out a hand to the veteran,"Unanimous decision? He watched as the grey haired man gave a sigh of defeat, slumping down his once tense shoulders. He then put on a soft smile, while Joker returned with a prideful smirk.

"Unanimous decision"

The small clique of Shujin students along with Souji stood outside the Madarame residence, as light from the afternoon sun bathed the area in a radiant golden glow. Normally, this would be the time people took in leisure as they were getting off from studies or work, being the most relaxer period in the day. However, the same couldn't be said for the anxious group of four. Souji rang the doorbell, calling out to the young artist.

"Ah, Nice to see you both-" Yusuke stopped mid-sentence, noticing a raven haired male and another blonde trailing behind Ann and Yu. "You…" He said locking eyes with the two strangers, "I thought it would just be you both coming, Takamaki, Narukami."

"Actually...we came here for a different reason Kitagawa." The pig-tailed blonde apologized awkwardly, further fueling the unpleasant atmosphere.

"Yea, it's about those rumors regarding your sensei." Souji came out bluntly. He knew the kids would start pushing eventually anyway.

"What? I thought I made it clear that those were baseless claims the other day…" The blue haired male was beginning to feel attacked. An insult to Madarame was also a direct insult to himself.

"That painting we saw the other day? Yu said you were acting strange when we first saw it. That was made by you wasn't it?" Instead of another annoyed reply, Ann was faced with a choking silence.

"Listen, I know he's like a dad to you and all, but if he's forcing you to do work for him, that's not right." Ryuji said in an oddly calm manner. He understood how Madarame might be close to Kitagawa, but that was no excuse to submit to the abuse.

"You couldn't go against him, could you? I'm sure we can help you out thought…" Ann promised the young artist. She just wanted him to admit it already.

"I… do admit that I occasionally offer up my artwork. But that is simply because Sensei is suffering over a period of artists block! However, it shouldn't be counted as plagiarism if I did it of my own free will." Yusuke answered adamantly, still refusing to give up.

"Are you still going to play dumb with us Kitagawa Yusuke? That reaction you had to the work Ann mention didn't exactly scream willing to me" Akira had a scolding voice, if the artist budge now...they would have to use THAT.

"And what evidence do you that'll affirm such slanderous claims!?" The now fully enraged teen snapped back, "What's wrong with a pupil helping his master?! Did I ask for your help? Did I say I was being abused by Sensei?!" He screamed back desperately, his tone of voice getting higher and higher with each work spoken.

"He's treating you like a tool! How can you blindly let him step all over you like that?! Ryuji spat, finally losing his cool. No matter how much they reasoned with him, Kitagawa would come up with the most idiotic of excuses.

"That's enough! Don't ever come here again! If you do, I will inform the police department and sue you for causing a disturbance-!" suddenly he paled, his once reddened features were now by replaced spots of sweat and a frozen sheet of white. Hearing the familiar tone of Madarame's kind voice, the words, they sounded...familiar, yet instead of stopping there, he also heard his own. The exchange between the two involving Yusuke painting his next piece.

"We do have evidence…and that's not all of it" Souji held up a miniature voice recorder, fast-forwarding the tape to a few hours in, a grim expression on his face.

"Yes, yes...is this...from the...private collectors...? my work Sayori...found...I can always sell it at an exclusive price just for you." The old Japanese master's voice faded in and out of the static, yet this would only be multiple calls he would make to different buyers, confirming the sale of the famous painting each time to each collector.

"W-what?! I-Is that Sensei?!.." The now startled teen backed away, eyes locked on the tiny grey block. "But the Sayori...It was lost years ago. How could he-and so many copies too?!"

"Wasn't the Sayori lost Kitagawa? Not only has your Sensei been taking art from you, but he's also been dealing counterfeits behind your back. Of course...we do have some other choice voice clips we've captured too." Souji bluffed, hoping to trick the artist into believing that they've tapped him more than a day and had gotten even more shadier exchanges.

"We're really sorry Kitagawa. We really didn't want to do this to you, but this was meant for a last resort." Ann stepped forward, a concerned expression formed on her face and worried words trickled from her mouth. Yu had suggested to leave a small recording at the house a day before, trusting Morgana to sneak it in without the Madarame finding out to capture some real world evidence. As much as some of the others objected, they agreed it was their only good way of finding out Madarame's true nature, since they knew so little.

"Don't you think there's something going with this guy? We did some research online about the Sayori disappearing a while back. But the old geezer's been selling fakes this whole time!" Ryuji said, raising his fist in the air.

"Sensei would never-..." However, instead of finishing his thought, he looked away. "I will personally converse with Sensei...about this matter. Please, do not hand that into the authorities." Yusuke begged, seeming torn and conflicted between at what he should believe or who he should be defending.

"But what are you going to say? How are you going confront Madarame about the fake Sayoris?" Souji challenged the pupil. "Be honest and say you got it from a recording? Or maybe lie that you unintentionally eavesdropped on your Sensei and learned that he was selling faux copies of his most famous artwork?" The veteran presented him with two equally frustrating options, each landing him in a world of trouble with the old mentor.

He stood frozen. He couldn't come up with a definitive solution.

"Come on Kitagawa, Madarame is not who you think he is if he's keeping this from you. He must know how dear that painting is to you." Ann pleaded with the art student.

"Then...I will prove to you that you are mistaken Takamaki." His next reply surprised the rest, they didn't expect such a bold answer. "I plan to question Sensei directly about the Sayori paintings. I am sure it will just be one big misunderstanding."

"Wait what-?!" Before Ryuji could object, Akira caught him off in favor of Yusuke's offer.

"How will we know the stuff you tell us will be true? You didn't exactly admit to offering up your artwork until we pushed you for answers" The younger Wild Card knew they won't be getting the truth out of Madarame, but he was more worried about Yusuke slipping from their little break through. One wrong word from the deceptive Japanese Master and they would probably be shoved back to square one of the grand Madarame abuse game.

"How about this?" The artist started to make a proposal, "I will allow all of you to hide yourselves away in the house. A few days from now, Sensei will arrive home early from the exhibit to take care of some business. It will be the perfect time for him clear up the confusion."

"That does sound reasonable." As much as the blonde Shujin model wanted Yusuke to admit the suffering inflicted by Madarame, she couldn't deny that this was a good opportunity to see what the great Japanese master was like.

"Then it's settled then, we'll meet back here to hear the truth from Madarame himself" Akira looked to the rest, which all nodded in approval of the decision. Today wouldn't be a total win without Yusuke's confession, yet it was still better than nothing.

They would need another plan.

Souji stood tapping on his phone, scrolling through several scattered reports on the Tokyo Daily, mindlessly browsing through the many blend and repetitive articles. A city hall plan here, a sports event there, and a grand opening of a new restaurant, it was the usual tiresome stories with a new fresh coat of paint. He was starting to resent it. How could the world be so oblivious and peaceful when he was drowning in his own? So far, he had failed to stop the new Wild Card in almost anything he did, including roping him into another palace. The man was sure if they kept going soon enough, one day, trouble would come for them. Watching from a grey pillar with pale and tired eyes, he saw a figure approach him. It was human, yet there was...another.

"What..?" he whispered to himself, gradually feeling drained. He blinked. And then there as only one. As he focused his eyes, he could make out the form of Nakanohara, the shadow that the Phantom Thieves had fought the other day. Yes, it was only Nakanohara, only Nakanohara. Akira was there to meet and talk to Madarame's victim.

"Yu, hey Yu, are you ok?" He could hear someone nudging him. Quietly calling him. He looked to the blue eyed blonde beside him, a worn out look on his face before it was swifty replaced with an empty smile.

"Something wrong Ann?" He spoke in minor confusion, making sure to look lively as possible.

"Are you ok? You've been spacing out for a while now." She asked him quietly, not wanting to interpret the flow of information given to Akira in the background.

"Just a little sick is all. Nothing big to worry about." he chuckled to the air and to himself. He wished it was 'just a little sick'. The night terrors that had disturbed in his dark dreams and deepest nightmare...were back.

" _Big bro…"_ He heard the faint dreaded whisper of that sweet voice, yet he remained completely still.

"You should have told us beforehand..." Her voice sounded in a mix worry and frustration "If we'd known, you would have stayed home."

"I know it might have been the better option, but...I really want to help Kitagawa as much as you guys." he faked a face of concern.

" _You're a liar big bro…."_

"I get why you went with us but…" Ann couldn't deny that she too was worried about Yusuke, especially when Nakanohara begged so desperately to save the boy. The rumors that they once heard were all revealed to be true. The truth that had been uncovered gave way to urgency to save the boy. "But we could have shared it with you afterwards…"

"It's alright. I'm fine. I can even go palace hopping with you guys later if you want" He gave her an assuring smile. But he was not. As every time he spoke the world wrap around him, gently shifting in and out of a twisted reality. He watched as the pristine checkered marble tiling be stained in a deep sea of red, and the entirety of the underground population be covered in a hazy eternal black. He felt his body shaking, sudden chills rolling down his back and beads of hot sweat began to line his already worn out features, yet he was still keeping up his act.

"Well...if you say so." she doubted his answer, but decided it was better not to ask any further. For now, she would trust him.

"We've been asked to act directly on behalf of one of Madarame's victims. It sounds like we don't have the time to deliberate whether or not to change Madarame's heart." He heard Morgana announce through his cloudy mind.

"I guess we don't have time to convince Yusuke…" Ann mumbled. "We have to save Kitagawa no matter what."

"Hell yea! That Madarame's a real piece of shit." Ryuji added, now determined to steal from the palace.

"We still have to remember that we have that meeting. Maybe use that to our advantage." Akira said, calculating all the possibilities that the opportunity could be used for.

He heard them converse. He watched them plan. He watched the darkness oozed its way towards Wild Card, slowly enveloping the boy and the others in a choking black. He breath quickened, his heart tightened, his body tensed as he felt small, cold, white translucent hands reach up and tightened around his neck like an unbreakable noose, crushing his windpipe in its impossibly tiny palms. Choking, strangling, and wringing the cutting off the circulation and precious life saving air that refused to make its way to his struggling lungs.

" _Big bro…."_ He struggled to move his body, hands, legs, arms, head, feet, yet instead of bolting off from this hellish nightmare he remain glued. His body shaking and shutting down from the lack of air. And though his hazy vision he could make out a miniature figure...a figure of a familiar brown haired girl. Then another and another, each figure seemed more familiar than the last. Dojima, Kanji, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Naoto and so on…

He wanted to scream.

"Yu," Until it went away. Just as suddenly as she had come and harassed him, she went away. He stopped realizing who had called him. It was none other than the other Wild Card, Akira. The boy stared at him with puzzled and worried eyes, probably wondering what had frozen the man. Still stuck in a state of shock, Souji stared back. "Are you ok?" came another reply.

"Yea..." When he finally regained his senses, he blurted out the first word he could say.

"Are you sure bro? You look really pale." None of the others believed him. Not even Ryuji.

"You should go home and rest Yu. You don't look so well." Morgana advised.

"Should we take him to the hospital? I don't know if a small cold can make someone act like this." Ann was the most worried out of the others, as the veteran had told her he was only mildly sick.

"No….don't we have the palace today?" Souji knew what the reply was going to be. His appearance alone was too much to make the group stop him. He admits he was still feeling out of breath.

"We promise we'll stay safe." Akira firmly assured him. In his leader persona it contrasted his usual casual demeanor. "We won't make the same mistakes as last time."

"But…" He kept going. What if they ended up like them…?

"How are stubborn are you? Look at you, you're almost falling apart!" Ann scolded angrily, "Can't you see we're worried about you?"

"Yea bro...You should listen to her…" Ryuji agreed, "Leave this one to us. You've helped us a lot in the past and we gotta pay you back somehow."

"Fine...I'll go back." The teenagers all sighed in relief. It seemed like they managed to get through to the veteran that he needed rest. Each of them promised him to be cautious and joked that they wouldn't do anything stupid. However, despite their words, Souji planned to tail them anyway. Usually he would be confident in Akira's abilities as a leader, but his previous visions of his own failures had rattled him. Shook him to the core and weakened his normal judgements. What if the new Wild Card needed watching, especially with that Velvet Room?

He carefully trailed behind the small group through the massive underground station, feeling sluggish and frozen. The chill from her had remained and stubbornly clung to his surroundings, making it feel like he was walking through a large freezer. With each step he grew colder and colder, until he halted to rest in the flow of pedestrians, as they hurried about around him. Each of their faces becoming increasing blurred as time sprinted by. Leaning the enclosed glass walkway for some rest he his vision fading. The once vibrant of the world started to drain, becoming a monochrome canvas full of white, blacks, and greys that dotted its way around his fading world. Yet, just as he thought everything would be turn black…

Blue dress…

Platinum blonde…

Golden eyes….

"Don't you hurt those kids…" He felt his will returning, his vision brightening, his eyes burning with a rage and hatred akin to a thousand suns. He got, glaring at the inhuman entity before.

"..."

"Margaret!"

* * *

 **The cliff hangers never end, do they Wes?**

 **Anyhow, I've been busy playing Red Dead Redemption 2 now, and I'd like to say… R.I.P Gorman Tharur.**

 _ **Nopeeee, cheap but effective as always.**_

 _ **We planned for a joke christmas chap...that plan didn't age well. Souji has a great sense of humor.**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Ugh, this is the how maniy-ith chapter I've had Wes written? Wes, I'm so sorry! I just can't get motivated until we get to the parts that I'd fine entertaining until the later in the story. It's more of a drag right now than those Knuckles and Tails stages from Sonic Adventure.**

 **Guest 1: I... okay, I'll be honest, I don't know how to respond to this since it's just stating a fact. Um... thanks for reviewing? Review acknowledged? That's all I've got.**

 **Guest 2: *sigh* now we have a ship going. Oops.**

 **Alexaxegx: Er… maybe? Seriously, we're going to diverge eventually… eventually… eventually… Dammit, Wes, we really got to get to those fun parts, don't we?**

 ** _Eyyy, here's a pic of FH Souji to celebrate the 10th chapter of Fallen Hero!_** **_sta . sh/01fyo8ap4t68_**

 _ **Grim, ya sound like a goddamn lunatic...it will happen eventually**_

* * *

She watched him with unmoving eyes, small pieces of disheveled straws of yellow draped in front of her worn visage, a face of exhaustion and apathy for the men in front of her. What was once a man she used to adore and enjoy in company was now a hollow shell of his former self. Ever since that incident, Seta Souji had never been the same. She watched him as he descended into a downward spiral of delusion and madness. She watched him grow more bitter and bitter as the years passed. She watched him collapse onto the black rails of the grey glass walkway, weakly holding onto the bars for support. He looked absolutely pitiful.

"Margaret..." She heard him call for the second time in a row. His voice undoubtedly strained. Yet, before she could respond, everything around her seemed to freeze and solidify around her. What was once a fast paced bustling city street full of silhouetted figures grand to a halt. The mother stopped tending to her crying child stopped, the businessman ceased his long winded calls, and the students stopped gossiping altogether. It was as if time itself had decided to pause in front of her. Then, she could feel a familiar power imminent from the men.

"You wanted this right?" He pulled an ancient brown tomb from his jacket, and waved it into the air around her. Her body tensed, her brow creased at the sight of that object was enough to ensue her anger. However, instead of him getting up to fight her, he reached out, as if encouraging her to take it. "Well? Take it…"

She was hesitant. But then she got closer, stretching out a hand, but instead of feeling the hard cold binding of the old tomb, she was tackled and slammed to the ground by a blur of grey that quickly spring from his position and dashed off into the crowds. Just like her attacker, she too jumped off the pavement and sped forth to give chase. Shoving through the cascade of people around her, she watched the grey haired bastard smirk at her, pushing and tripping as many pedestrians as he could to slow her progress. She threw a man out of the way, she grabbed a woman to the side, she forced her way through a group of older youths and cursed herself for even considering to trust that deplorable idiot.

Hasty and gritting her teeth out of sheer frustration, she finally spotted a tuft of grey and a taunting wave in the confusing human jungle. She tailed and chased the man until she spotted him darting into a dark area of the city. Her pursuit had lead her to the shadier parts of the metapolis. Not thinking of what might befall her, she aggressively dashed her way into an alley, only to brace herself as she felt someone punch and body slam her to the floor, earning a small yap from her vocal cords. Summoning her full strength to defend herself, she rammed her knee into his abdomen and fisted him in the jaw, throwing him off of her body.

"Souji Seta! Stop! This Delusion of yours is madness!" She glared daggers at the man before her. But she also couldn't notice her new surroundings. Immediately, she realized they weren't in the real world anymore. Replaced by the cramped allies and tightly packed concrete buildings was a world enveloped in an ominous shade of red and black. Charcoal colored veins protruded out from nowhere and climbed all the way up the cold stone walls. Train tracks of questionable origin trailed and spiraled, twisted and weaved themselves in impossible surreal motions.

"Delusion? Heh, I think not. Everything is clear to me now." He clasped the compendium in his hands, snapping it shut, closing the gateway that had lead the two her; her only form of escape.

"Do not blame your failures on us…" She growled back at him, she was at her boiling point. Using her hand and knee as support, she quickly got back on her feet. The dark circles and exhaustion on her face were quite prevalent. Her once white porcelain like beauty was now withered and worn, a shadow of her former self.

"Failures?! You pushed me into that hell without my consent!" He stomped forward, shattering the flooring below him. Charging at her at blinding speeds with his lightning coated blade that roared and crackled around him, he aimed for her throat and collided with her stiff body, sending waves upon waves of concrete and pavement in the air. However, he saw her hands stop the wrathful metal by mere inches, desperately pushing back while being fried by all the wild electricity flying around her. "What about the rest of them, huh?! Where are your former guests, are they alive!?" He shouted and cried at her, sending her free and crashing into a nearby pillar of veins, with a powerful shockwave.

"Their-!...I-" She spat, trying to prove the man in front of her wrong, but his words had left her a blank when realized the fate their previous visitor, her eyes downcast thinking back to a certain blue haired boy, shock filling her system, leaving her wide open.

"YOU BITCH!" Souji called forth a barrage of thunder that stormed down from the heavens, threatening to burn her to crisp, with her movements fairly slowed due to years of fighting; she barely managed to step of the way. Only to feel Souji forcefully yank her by the collar and shoved her head into the ground before delivering a series of brutal and wild punches that caused several sickening cracks. "Where are they huh!? Where the fuck are they?"

She didn't answer, instead, she used all her strength to bash her head against his, then attempted to reach the compendium in his jacket, only to feel a tight grip around her wrist that squeezed and yanked and tossed her into the air and then slammed her onto the ground. She quickly sprung up from her position and tried for a sucker punch that landed on Souji's cheek, twisting ready to do a roundhouse kick, but stopped by him trying to run her through with his sword. Thinking quickly, she took off both of blue heels and cancelled the oncoming advance by catching the blade in one of the bottom hocks, causing plenty of brilliant yellow sparks to scattered into the atmosphere.

She could see Souji's surprise at her actions, as she forcefully shoved the caught sword in an up and backwards motion into the air that left Souji completely unguarded. "You have no right to know!" she rammed and tackled him to the floor, pinning him down before stabbing in with her heels, violently cutting into eyes and his face, mauling his skin and digging into his chest, a large gash here, a bloodied and eye there. Souji screamed and struggled against her monstrous strength, trying to overpower her with his own. Her words only served to infuriate and encourage him more. It enraged him and cut into more than any blade ever could. Who was she to decide? Who was she to hide the fates of the others, others who like him, are likely either in shitty situations, or dead.

"Right? What right? You're telling me after all the shit you've put me through that I'm not even worthy of you velvet fucks?!" Suddenly, she saw an all too familiar glow and card in his hands. Even forced to the ground, he was able to summon. Hearing the almighty shattering of the transparent card, a brief rush of blue energy, she felt the large looming presence of something above her that sent shivers down her spine. A sliver of lighting could be observed from the entity hovering in silence, a feeling of great static in the air.

"You fool—!" Was all she could uttered out, realizing what was about to happen next, without another moments of hesitation the grand thunder god shot down a barrage of blinding pillars of electricity that exploded on top of her and Souji. She howled in agony at the bots striking her body and savagely burning her already tired flesh, sending her body into a mad spasm at the electricity hitting her nervous system and eating away her will. She tried to make it stop, she tried getting away, only to be held and forced down to endure the torture of the deadly blasts by a laughing Souji who also took the blast head on. "AHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

"Heh, fucking Velvet bitch! This is what you get!" He delivered another deranged volley of fists to her face and abdomen, smacking, twisting and cracking her bones before summoning another blast of lighting. "Do you think this pain is bad?" He yanked her by her disheveled hair, "Huh?! Cause this is a thousand times less painful than what my friends felt went through when they goddamn rushed themselves at that bitch shadow!" He could feel warm droplets of liquid well up from his eyes. "You sent them to their deaths!"

"That was not us…" She managed to utter out to her tormentor, her voice barely audible, earning her a third blast of electricity and a blade to her soft throat.

"What did you say you lying whore…?" Souji stared at her blankly, ready to end it all.

"I said…-"

"As if I'd let you finished!" he swiftly swung his sword, ready to pierce her throat, but stopped at the very edge, enough to draw blood. He spat at her in disgust remembering if he ended her, he would be no better than the monsters that tormented him.

"..." She could only glare at him through her fading vision.

"I'll let you off, but only this once. But if you ever show up in my face again…"

...

"Ms! Ms! Are you alright?" She could a youthful voice call out to her. Her vision was still a whirlwind of colors and hazy sensations.

"Akechi, call an ambulance!" A second voice, an older female this time. At first, she sounded quite controlled, but soon after observing the state she was in must have even sent her into shock as her tone increasingly grew more panicked.

Sae slowly felt her contents of the day slowly gnaw and writhe in her stomach, threatening to escape and spill out from her insides. Raw rage and horror ceased her face as she clenched her mouth at the amount of injuries this poor individual had suffered; from the multiple large gashes and lacerations, to the burned and almost peeling off skin of her body. She wasn't sure what this woman endured, but she felt sick to the core at the disgusting bastard that had done this. Who was cruel enough to do this to another human being?

...

Akira paced himself to the glass walkway, seeing a few familiar faces all standing and waiting for him ahead. Once again, the bright afternoon rays had streamed in and transformed the grey steel box into many hues of gold and red, varies black shadows of the passerby and the buildings around him collided and danced in the orange sunlight.

"Oh good, you're here." Ann noticed the raven haired transfer from the crowd. They were expecting the boy for quite a while.

"Sorry, I should have gotten here earlier." Akira said apologized with a serious glare.

"Nah, it's all good man, as long as we get to Madarame's." brushing off his friend's slight tardiness, Ryuji was lax in his demeanor as always.

"Actually about that plan…" Akira tried to find the right words to phrase his next proposals, "I've been thinking since yesterday about this."

"About that door or Yusuke himself?" Souji could tell the Wild Card was about to say something controversial. He had stalked the rest after he had gotten back from own business. Although the trip made by Akira and his group was quickly halted and yielded little results in terms of real progress as a large unopenable door had obstructed their way.

"Both." He observed the other's expressions, "Mona, can we alter your plans just by a bit?" He looked to the cat first for some kind of approval, knowing his arrogant nature.

"Depends on what you're planning. What do you have in mind?" The supernatural cat simply inquired more into the matter.

"I was thinking...we should drag Kitagawa into the palace with us and-" He didn't get to finish as several other voices caught him off in surprise.

"What?!" Ann turned to him in disbelief, remembering back to the trouble she had encountered when she entered as a bystander herself.

"Dude, as much as I want that guy to see Madarame's gaudy palace, that's not gonna work." Ryuji was next to protest their leader's plan.

"Do you know how dangerous it was the last time?" Souji gave him a disapproving frown, he was with the others. He didn't want anyone being dragged into this persona user mess anymore, considering how both Ryuji and Ann awakened in front of Kamoshida. What's to say Kitagawa won't do the same?

"I agree with the rest. That would not only endanger Kitagawa but also put us at a disadvantage as well, even with a veteran on our side." He summarized all their feelings into one, it was four against one.

"No, hear me out here everyone. Remember how we discussed how we wouldn't know how Kitagawa would react if Madarame suddenly got hauled off by the police?" Akira knew was walking on a fragile tightrope, "If he's the type of person we think he is, he wouldn't stop believing in his teacher even if he admitted his guilt. He'll just seek him out again."

"And what if he gets injured, or even driven insane by other world huh? Madarame's palace isn't exactly the friendliest place for therapist visits." Souji was immediate to counter the boy. Kitagawa would remain in the real world.

"So you want him to live that lie for forever? There is nothing in the real world that is going to open his eyes and let him see what's really going. He'll think the Phantom Thieves did something to Madarame and resent us for _ever_ touching his Sensei." The younger wouldn't back down either. This was about saving Kitagawa, not shutting down Madarame. If they left the blue haired artist to his own devices after, he would forever seek out the Thieves for an explanation. "He wouldn't believe a word of that confession."

"You're saying...even if we dealt with Madarame...Kitagawa will still be stuck believing his Sensei did nothing wrong." Ann had her eyes downcast; trying to find a way to reason out a possible solution, yet there was nothing she could do. They saw how stubborn young artist had been, even after showing him recorded evidence.

"I don't want him getting hurt. We just have to get him into the palace and get out as soon as we can without alerting the shadows. It's the only way we can show him that Madrame's a lying piece of shit." The raven haired Wild Card explained. We'll open the door first tricking Madarame in the real world, and then all escape into the palace. Then we'll show Kitagawa the truth and exit without causing much of a disturbance."

"Hmm the problem is with that last part. But it is true that Kitagawa might still be too adamant to change otherwise." the faux feline meowed.

"I really can't think of any other ways to help either…" Ryuji also attempted to find another way, another answer to their problem. However, unlike the Shujin youths who had been swayed in Akira's favor, Souji was still very much against the idea. Whatever happened to Kitagawa in the real world after Madarame would still be a thousand times better than him having a run in with a bunch of persona users, but he knew if he retorted now, it would only lessen his popularity with the others.

"Then...I agree with Akira. We're not only changing Madarame for the Phantom Thieves, but to free Kitagawa." Ann was first shift to the raven haired boy's side, followed by similar remarks by the others.

"It's true that this new plan may pose some unwanted complications, yet maybe seeing what Madarame's true nature is like may make him rethink his Sensei's actions." Morgana added.

Still looking somewhat bitter at the proposal Souji forced himself to comply, putting on a neutral smile "So how do we progress from here Akira?

"First we'll have to separate Madarame from Kitagawa." He pulled out his silver smartphone, an unfamiliar number flickered on its brightly lit call screen, a wide smirk on his face.

...

The ringing of an aged door bell sounded in the gentle afternoon breeze, followed subtly by the tranquil footsteps of a blue haired teen. Unlocking the front door from the inside, he was greeted with four familiar faces. He welcomed the group with a confident smile, musing that he would clear Madarame's humble name of their misinformed accusations.

"Hey Kitagawa, we're here for the meeting with Madarame." Ann faked a chirp with the others following her lead.

"It's nice to see you again Tamamaki. Please, position yourselves in the house in what place you may find suitable." With that, he welcomed his new guests inside where they carefully picked out spots they thought would conceal themselves.

Not like much later, with Akira's whole team in place, they heard a sudden opening of a wooden door, adding another voice to the already crowded house. Ryuji peaked through the small slit in in his hiding spot, Ann, Akira, and Morgana chose to station themselves in an adjustment room to the one where Yusuke would speak with Madarame.

"Sensei, may I inquire into a concerning matter before you go back to work?" They could hear the young men catch the attention of his teacher, which stopped the man in his tracks.

"Ah sorry Yusuke, but can this wait until another time? This business I have is quite urgent at the moment." Instead being swayed by his pupil like the blue haired teen had expected, his mentor decided to ignore his words.

"But Sensei-" He tried again, yet Madarame seemed focused on something else entirely, a sense of urgency in his words. The old master shook his head, sending the signal that he was in quite a hurry.

"Another time Yusuke," He felt something off about his Sensei's odd behavior, then he saw the man head straight for the secluded hallway that housed the locked painting storage. "Now you stay here, I need to check on something in the storage area." Failing to convince Madarame to stay left an empty feeling his gut, as he hoped today was the day he would prove the others false. However, he was brushed off by the old master almost instantly for his inquires. It left him alone, standing in a long ominous hallway.

Madarame carefully made his way into the most hidden part of the house where kept his storage. The abstract gold and blue door that kept his deepest and darkest secrets lay just ahead, around the turn of a simple corner in the house. No one was to ever open this gate other than himself, as it lead to a grand treasure trove of countless manufactured forgeries and lies. Just as he was about to revisit the same unbreakable lock and impossible door, he was greeted by something that sent a jolt of fear and shook through his entire system.

"Hey Madarame…" The figure spoke in a low mocking tone, he could only make its general outline in the darkness. But there was one figure that stood out, its cold glowing grey eyes. "Wanna see a magic trick?"

Madarame was about to shout, yet there was only choking silence. The amount of dread the thing in front of him was emitting, staring him down causing the blood in the man's veins to slow and freeze. Helplessly, he watched one of the figure's hands reach up to the large brown padlock. Grabbing it by either end of the oddly shaped hexagon, it was quickly followed by a sharp pronounced snap as the padlock was swiftly and utterly decimated by the figure's fist like a piece of crumbling stale bread. The old master shook watching the only security to his secrets evaporate and vanish in front of his own eyes, he now knew whoever he was confronting was simply not human.

"Oh but there's more…." At this point he had completely toned out everything around him, eyes glued to the aged door as it lazily cracked open, making a hollow creak, finally unveiling the lies within.

Akira activated the Metaverse navigator, entering the appropriate palace keywords that cause his surroundings to melt and menace around him into a haze of colors. According to their previous trips to the other world, the app was known to drag in unlucky pass by within a certain radius. Soon he found himself and the others standing before the same extravagant door, yet the key difference being it was free of its previous crimson laser security and held a wide opening.

"Huh, guess it worked." The Wild Card mumbled to himself, taking in the rest of his surroundings, surveying the area for any other changes.

"All by himself? That's pretty amazing." he saw his skull masked friend stare at the door in awe, the veteran had successfully tackled the lock and somehow forced Madarame watch the opening of his precious door without much of a commotion.

"Really now? I'd sure like to hear more of that." They both jumped at the sight of the grey haired man, who somehow managed to come along with them almost instantly.

"K-king!? How are you here?" The girl in the red masked exclaimed, jumping at the sight of the veteran.

"W-Who are you all?!" They heard a fifth voice cut through the confusion. A panicked Yusuke backed away from the bizarrely dressed group of masked individuals. He only tensed even more at his otherworldly surroundings. It was as if he was transported into a work by the likes of Pablo Picasso or Kazimir Malevich. A tall garden of fine greens stood in a center of brilliant gold that littered the entire floor, followed by broken frames that floated aimlessly in the air. It was truly a world of abstract art.

"Calm down, Kitagawa! It's me Takamaki." she placed a hand to her chest, a genuine voice of concern at his disorientation. The shock of being transported to another world must have momentarily impaired his judgement, leading to an uncontrolled sense of fear.

"Takamaki?" He turned to the other three, "Then you three must be-I don't recall ever seeing this cat costume before thought…" Before he could comment on the other distinguishing outfits, his full attention was turned to the stuffed cat in the corner. "But where is this place…"

"We're inside Madarame's heart." Panther explained, a sense of guilt could be felt passing through the entire team. They had purposely brought him there.

"Heart? I'm sorry Takamaki...but are you sure you're feeling ok?" He still couldn't comprehend it. Despite his otherworldly surroundings and the outlandish costumes, he was still in disbelief.

"We ain't lyin'. This is what that bastard truly feels. He's nothin' but a greed-filled money-grubber." The skull masked individual spoke up next.

"Enough of this rubbish-!"

"Do you really think this strange world is a lie?" King began, "Pinch yourself to see if you're dreaming." He had to control himself not to strangle the new Wild Card. What was he thinking?

"You may not want to believe it, but this is another reality as viewed through Madarame's eyes. This is his true nature." He saw her eyes droop to the floor in a worried motion. Reality was truly stranger than fiction.

"This repulsive world…?" He thought to himself, the amount of gold and extravagance in this place was ugly to the eye. From the yellow streaming river above that scattered glowing droplets of molten gold, to the rich grand exhibits of those soulless gaudy displays this world called art. Madarame was a simple man, not someone who would chase after such wealth and greed. "Just who are all of you? How did I even get here?!"

"Who goes there!?" Sadly, before any could answer, they saw an approaching figure. It was some type of security guard clad in complete red, with a odd heart shaped masked. Hovering above the ground in a supernatural manner, it didn't like it welcomed their presence.

"Panther, Skull! Get Kitagawa out of here! Mona! Get to the control room!" Joker commanded, grasping his white dagger in a barrage of azure blue. At the same time, King unsheathed his sword.

"W-what is going on, and who is that?!" the poor artist could only watch as he was helplessly watch the scene unfold, as a helpless bystander.

"Come on! There's no time explain!" He felt someone grab by the wrist, quickly identifying her as Takamaki who hastily forced him to run with her. Together with the rest of her bizarrely dressed friend, they dragged behind a bush in the furthest of the garden. All the while the stuffed cat he saw moments ago snuck past the yellow beast before the other two.

"Hide here, it won't get us from this spot." The skulled masked blonde said quietly, his eyes darting in paranoia as if something was going to jump out and bite him. Without getting in another word, Yusuke saw a blinding glow come from the place where they just fled from, followed by a mad shockwave that rocked the entire floor. He didn't know what to make of this new setting, one moment he was told this was Madarame's heart and now he was witnessing two people fighting a mammoth sized monster two times their size.

"What is that thing…?" he viewed in horror as its beastly claws slammed to the floor, shattering the harsh stone beneath. The one dressed in black was lucky to roll out of the way at last second possible, as if he did any moment later, he would have crushed under.

"Insolent fools! I will not let you pass any further into lord Madarame's terrority!" with that, the beast jumped and tried to claw at the two again, scraping up and destroying more bits of the ground that scattered small rock all over the courtyard.

"Lord Madarame? Is that referring to Sensei.." He found himself doubting his prior beliefs, maybe Takamaki wasn't lying when she said this was Madarame's heart—no it couldn't be true.

"Hua po!" Joker called forth a miniature looking fairy creature, which suddenly produced a wave of flames beneath the yellow beast, completely knocking the creature sideways as it panicked and screeched at the mauling fire that ate away at its skin.

"Let's finish this..." King charged up his blade, not even bothering to call his persona. For now he would unleash his rage against this poor creature. It serves as his outlet for wanting to strangle the new Wild Card.

"Did he just summon some kind of apparition?" The young artist was now more curious than frightened of his situation.

"Yep, we call that a persona." The skull masked blonde responded, all three of them taking shelter in the back. They watched the striped yellow beast dashed at the two, only for their figures to both disappear into a combination of darkness and pure electricity, both appearing on the other side with their outstretched weapons, as they ran through the monster from behind, which soon collapsed into a heap of ichor and gross black.

"That beast just now...was it really referring to Sense? Yusuke questioned them with serious eyes, an array of emotions welling up from his distraught mind.

"Yes. As Panther, or Ann said before, this is the world of Madarame's heart after all." Joker put away his dagger, coming over from the main entrance to the next hallway by the door.

"We're sorry that you were dragged in here along with us, but sometimes places like this have strong distortions that pull others in unexpectedly." King explained, or rather lied to the teen.

"It was sudden for us too. We can explain the rest of the details to you later. For right now we have to get out of here." Joker added, making sure it didn't seem like they dragged him here on purpose. For now, they would run across certain key parts of the palace and show him the true face of Madarame.

"Yea, stuff like that monster over there might come for us again." Skull did have some truth in his words.

"F-fine...but you are all going to give me an explanation for this world once we get out of here." Yusuke wasn't sure if he could trust their words, but he would get the truth from them later. This place was far too bizarre and dangerous to remain idle.

He found himself being lead through many twisting hallways that repeated the many motifs of wealth and greed that decorated the many walls of the golden museum. With each pass through the bewildering palace he found himself growing more and more disgusted at the visions and sensations he was experiencing. Until he stopped at a dimly lit display room with something entirely different from what the gross displays this place called art.

"This painting…" He went up to it in dumbfounded. The image of the girl distorted and wrapped in its wooden encasing. He recognized that face, and as he look around he started to recall the many faces around him. What was once just a row of unknown portraits became a gallery of forgotten memories.

"You probably know them right?" King gestured around at the other displays.

"But...why are there paintings of them here…?" The young artist found himself recalling back to Takamaki's words, of this being a world of Madarame's heart.

"Madarame saw'em as objects, so that's what they are in here...oh, and uh..we found yours too." Skull explained. Yusuke didn't know what to say. Could something like this truly be real? The more they explored this foreign place the more he began to question himself.

Wordlessly trailing behind the rest in deep contemplation, he observed the people around him until they stopped at another room, this one being a rounded floor with plenty of the same sickly decor and what appeared to be a grotesque statue in the middle.

"What is this...barbaric display?" he watched what looked to be abstract waves of gold spiral and drown the figures in the sickly torrent. He couldn't help but approach and read the nameplate displayed and its contents. However, before he could take another step he was interrupted by a splash of black ichor that threw him back, tossing him into the others. "Ack!"

Joker tensed, this was both and bad news. He saw countless shadow blobs form around them that quickly morphed into those odd masked shadow guards. On one hand this is exactly what they came for, knowing shadow Madarame was going to show up any minute from now, but on the other hand they would have to act fast before he sends his shadow army after them. He didn't tell the others beforehand, but he was wholly gambling on Madarame from the start. There was little chance of showing Yusuke around would do if he didn't have that one primary push. It was akin to Kamoshida's palace with Ryuji and Ann.

"Who is- what the" He heard Panther shout, jumping back from a tall man with glowing yellows. A golden kimono and his hair style after an ancient feudal lord shadow stood before the thieves and the door.

"Welcome to the museum of the master artist Madrame…." The master of the palace greeted the group, his face plastered with a ghoulish smile.

"Huh...Sensei? Is that you?" Yusuke was helped up by Panther from the floor. "This...This is all one big lie isn't it…?" He still acted in denial.

"Hahhaa...did you really think I would wear such ragged and dirty clothes? It was all nothing but an act! Besides, a famous persona living in that shack? I have another home...under a mistress's name, of course." the shadow confessed. It was almost ironic in a way, because today the young thought he would confront Madarame for the truth to prove his true colors, and in a way he did. Although the response was far from what the youth wanted to hear.

"Then tell me...through all your lies...what were the calls for the Sayuri about? Those deals you secretly hide from me. The Sayuri was lost, was it not?" Yusuke found himself recalling back to those shocking recordings from before. The fact that he wanted to question Madarame on those fake Sayuris shook him.

"Those calls? Have you been eavesdropping on my affairs foolish child?" The golden eyed man said in a tone of anger and glee, "It's true that I have been selling fakes for a while. In fact, the painting being stolen was just a false rumor I spread! Do you know how much those idiotic collectors would shell out once I told them I...recovered the real one?"

"No…" He felt speechless at his words, as each felt like a dagger drilling into his skin, it hurt.

"Art is subjective after all. Thus, even dealing a fake is a legitimate business transaction! Thought I never suspected a brat like you would ever catch onto such a brilliant scheme." The lord of the musume stretched out his arms wide into the air.

"You're supposed to be Kitagawa's foster parent right?! Do you even know much he respected you? How can you lie and plagiarize others works like that?!" Panther's hands tightened around her wipe. The way Madarame was treating Yusuke was appalling, the way he stole from was appalling! He seemed to not care for the pupil at all.

"Hah! His foster parent? I merely raised him for his talents. Did you think I took him in out of the goodness of my heart? Plucking talented, yet troubled artists allows me to find promising pupils and take their ideas…After all, it much easier to steal the futures of children who can't fight back!"

"I can't believe this…you are unforgivable" The young artist couldn't help but be painted by this abomination in front of him. All his doubts, fears, worries and so on flooded his heart and rattled him to the core. Madarame had put a veil around his eyes all this time and he just went along with it. From the plagiarism to the even his motivations for raising him as a child, to stealing away the futures of others!

"Livestock are killed for their hide and meat! Don't you ever think of opposing me Yusuke! You'll only end up broken and battered on the street! No one can succeed in the art industry without my approval!" This is no different, you fool!" The master of the palace declared, shouted, stomping his feet to the ground in a shadowy rage, only to falter at his last words. An unnerving shiver had caught him off guard and a feeling of static sparks in the air. There was now something here that now brought an indescribable sense of fear upon his soul as he tensely eyeballed around for its source, finding cool glowing grey eyes, the same demonic eyes that had tormented him in the real world.

"How amusing…It seems I had been deceived all this time. To think I believed in such a deplorable con-artist…" The shadow could feel crackles of electricity beneath feet, as he watched his broken pupil.

"Kitagawa…" The pig-tailed blonde knew what was going to happen next.

"I clouded my own vision from the truth...Blinded by your lies for all those years, blinded and unable to see the true self behind this horrible man!" Suddenly a colossal pillar of flames of mammoth proportions shot up from beneath the murky depths of the depressed grey floor that enveloped the young boy, trapping him its majestic azure veil. Shadow Madarame retreated back behind his guards at the abrupt manifestations of monstrous winds that knocked him to the floor. Although he thought he was safe, he failed to notice the massive increase of blue sparks in the air that soon lit the area into a brilliant firework of brutal thunder and electricity.

"King now!" The grey eyed demon smirked at the master artist, eyes ripping apart his very being as multiple bolts of thunder shot up from the ground and merged with the sparks in that fried all the shadows trapping their group, reverting them back to gross pieces of ichor, combined with Yusuke's hot scorching flames that ravaged the entire area, setting all of the fabric golden decor on fire. As the bright elements of fire electric clashed with each other, soon it was followed by a third exciting new addition of icicles that stabbed and ripped through any remaining resistance that dared to oppose its encroaching destruction.

"G-guards! Guards!" the shadow screamed wildly, once again forced to the floor at the might of the elements around him. "Kill them! Kill them now!" he felt those predator-like eyes bare at him again, but from where he couldn't discern. He quickly backed away from the group and Yusuke who were all aiming for his head. He saw more of his shadows, yet even with their numbers he didn't feel assured. He felt his golden eyes dart from left to right, right to left in an attempt to find that source of paranoia until he felt someone teleport in front of him from seemingly nowhere. He cried for help, desperately trying to find any way out of his situation, only to see his shadows all melting into broken masses of black at the rest of the brats.

"Hey Madarame…" It said to him, behind its pristine white mask, a glow coming from its open slits. Madarame's legs turned to jelly; they felt stuck to the ground.

"W-who are you?!" The shadow couldn't run, sweat running down his wrinkled face.

"Wanna see a...magic trick?" He saw the man remove his mask, he was now inches away from those soulless empty eyes. A monstrous smirk crept onto his face, a demonic voice sounded from his throat.

...

"A lot has happened to you huh?" Ryuji took a sip from his icy glass of fizzy soda. The cool refreshing taste of the sugary beverage helped wash away the dirt and disgust of day from facing the shadow Madarame. The group of five sat neatly in a booth in a popular city cafe, the one where many would flock to after a hard day.

"When you had mentioned plagiarism...deep down I knew you were right. That's why I so vehemently denied you...I was simply running from the truth. I'm sorry." Yusuke looked down at his glass, contemplating the events of the Madarame palace. The cheerful orange lighting of the eatery contrasting his blue solemn mood.

"It's alright, the past is the past right?" Souji comforted the artist, sometimes the truth wasn't easy.

"I understand how hard it is to sometimes accept the truth. You have been raised by Madarame for a while so we couldn't expect you to grasp it right away." Akira was next to assure the young man. He and the others learned of Yusuke's hard journey, from losing his mother at a young and being in debt to Madarame, to the strange people coming their house for selling the fake Sayuri.

"I'm grateful for the chance to face what I have been denying all this time." Yusuke thought back to the many times he denied himself.

"It's great that you finally faced the truth Yusuke, but Madarame still hasn't." Ann said with a hint of anger in her voice. The stuff Madarame said back at the palace meant their new friend still wouldn't have a future, even if he did figure out what was really going on.

"Ah, that reminds me. What were you are all doing in...that strange place? You all said it was Madarame's heart?" He remembered the bizarre world and the odd terms the group was throwing around before. They had promised to give him an answer.

"That's exactly what that place was, a reflection of Madarame's heart." The supernatural cat stuck his head out from his owner's school bag.

"Oh yea...we use places like to change people's hearts. We were gonna make him pay for his crimes." Ryuji blurted out bluntly to the table.

"Change hearts?" Yusuke stared puzzled.

"Have you seen this story on the news?" Akira pulled up his phone, showing the report detailing the Kamoshida incident and an involvement of a mysterious group called the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

"That was all of you? I had heard rumors regarding this Phantom Thieves of Hearts, but I never imagined I would encounter the real thing." Reading the small article had brought a small bit of amusement to the teen, because his life was somehow quickly altered by such an impossible supernatural force. Not had only had he realized the truth, but discovered so many new people.

"We used Kamoshida's to make him confess his crimes." Ann went on to tell the tale of their horrid gym teacher. How the group had first formed to tackle the evils of that monster. The arrival of Akira had brought in the possibility for change and the addition of Yu had only accelerated their progress.

"I see. So that's how you all managed to pull off a change of heart. And to think there are even older Persona users out there as well." Yusuke turned to Souji, who gave him a nod.

"We're sorry for lying to you on how you were pulled in too." Akira apologized.

"No, no it is quite alright. I'm sure if it weren't for that lie, I wouldn't have fully believed you."

Souji watched quietly from afar as the blue haired artist proposed to join the Wild Card's group to change Madarame's heart. He gritted his teeth on the inside, cursing himself for another persona awakening. Although he supposed the more users, the less likely chance that Akira was likely to die from a shadow incident, but it reminded the man a little too much of how his friends would latch onto his investigation team one by one as they each gained personas themselves. Opposing any of Akira's stupid plans would not only make him look bad, but blow his cover if he acted out of the group during shadow confrontations-

"Welcome to the Phantom thieves Yusuke!" He heard Ann chirp from her seat, she nudged on the side, causing him to lose his train of thought. "Say something."

"Uh...we're glad to have you with us." The veteran recovered, having a nervous chuckle, being stunned out of his musings. He really didn't like these sudden jabs.

"Don't slow us down k?" Ryuji gave massive thumbs up from his seat. However, the keen eyed artist's attention was on Ann and Yu.

"Um, something wrong Yusuke?" Ann questioned, confused at the sudden glares from the blue haired youth.

"What a lovely couple…" She heard him mumble while he was eyeing the two.

"W-what? Us? No way! We were only doing it so we'll get that modeling offer!" She felt her cheeks blush a cute peachy pink.

"Ann's right, we have nothing to do with each other." Souji could feel another jab at his poor stomach. Why does she keep doing that?

"So that was all a plan...?That's quite elaborate of you two. To think all that subtle affection was all but an act… even now." The oblivious artist concluded, not sensing the atmosphere around him.

"Ohhhh really? You sure you two haven't done anything...funny lately?" Akira brushed his chin in a suggestive tone, a dark aura accompanied by black demonic eyes emerging from his small figure. "Well?"

"Whoa bro! Don't tell you two-!" Ryuji slammed his hands on the table, disturbing the water in their drinks.

"W-what?!" Morgana shrieked from his bag.

"Is that true Takamaki!? Have you been up to nefarious deeds with Narukami?!" Yusuke also shot from his seat, catching the attention of a few passerbies tending to their children.

"Hey! Hey! Stop it!-" Ann shouted back at the rowdy table of teenagers, only to be caught off by Yusuke.

"Takamaki! Narukami! Please tell me of your forbidden ventures so that I may further my research-!"

...

King stood by the golden palace, steadily watching the stormy blue clouds chaotically roll by. The atmosphere of the Metaverse was just as choking as ever, as the small group of six stepped into enemy grounds. He saw the young Wild Card gave a signal to the others to climb their entrance route one by one. Panther jumped onto the golden truck first, followed by Skull and Fox. When he realize he was next, he clenched his blade in and easily made his way atop the garden path.

Despite the rest already being on board the path to infiltration, Joker watched them from below, walking to an empty space in the parking lot. With eyes of confusion the others watched their leader's odd movements. Every time they would visit a palace, he would freeze in place at a certain spot and then act as if nothing had happened, yet this time it would be different. King observed the boy's movements, from his hesitation, to his shaking hands. He watched the young Wild Card, only stop at that spot briefly, unlike the wasted minutes before, which brought a small genuine smile to his face when he realized the boy had suddenly turned away from that haunting blue door.

"Sorry for the small delay, let's head out." The raven haired thief finally came to his senses, ushering everyone forward with a subtle gesture pointing towards the golden museum.

Fox leaped from his hiding, unmasking a stunned security guard from behind, summoning his persona, showering it in a maelstrom of blizzard and ice that froze and tore at the shadows on the floor. It managed to take over a few screaming Hua Po and Koppa Tengu, but only managed to knock back several long canine- like creatures and snowmen.

Panther dodged a heavy bombardment of stray ice beams that headed for her, running out of the way just in time and summoning multiple balls of flames that merged with the ice and turned the whole room into a foggy wonderland, allowing for the likes of Joker and Skull to run through the enemies more effectively. Mona controlled the air around them, shifting the steam out their vision and forcing all their attackers while King sliced through all of them with in a barrage of wild electricity.

"This way! We're almost to the treasure! I can feel it!" they all heard the smallest member of their team yell, before once again disappearing into the shadows, exploring further and further into the center of Madarame's greed ridden heart, trudging through several giant paintings that held their own miniature worlds, strolling into a hall fall of faux Sayuris, and making their way into a well-guarded control room.

"A control panel?" Fox mused, inspecting the glowing blue screen before him.

"Tch, none of them work." Joker cursed him, testing each one out, one by one. He watched as the lights came back out from a brief blackout, the shutters unlocking something in the nearby vicinity and the laser doing absolutely nothing to help their case. What was worse was how their tampering had alerted some of the security staff.

"Something's heading our way, we should prepare for battle." Mona raised his sword, followed by the others.

"Hm?! So, you're the ones who tampered with the electricity!" Suddenly, the two double glass door burst open with a shadow guard that erupted into a pack of floating paper like canine that summoned a giant burst of nuclear energy aimed at the team. However, instead of the beam hitting anyone, it was quickly slapped back at its owners by a mighty swing of an electric sword. Soon the poor canines felt themselves being shredded into actual sheets of paper and even one ripped apart by someone's bare hands as they melted back into the darkness.

"Let's get moving well we can." King led the group to a storage area with a glowing red lever. After checking the ladder above, spotting a major security flaw, they all concluded that this would be their official infiltration route.

* * *

"A calling card, hmm? Will he take it seriously? He is famous, after all…" Yusuke conversed with the others, all eagerly pondering how they were going to pull off the stunt. Wet umbrellas and worn school bags placed on the sidewalk, among the dense city crowd.

"As long as he sees it, it won't be a problem. The news story from Shujin might not be the most relevant, but is it bizarre enough to stick in people's heads." Souji explained, checking on his phone. The strange incident was still being faintly picked up and analyzed by some lesser known outlets at the sheer outlandish way Kamoshida's confession had come.

"Oh yea, that reminds me, do I get to make that calling card again. The last one wasn't half bad." Ryuji said smugly, thinking back to how much the card had infuriated Kamoshida.

"Are you sure?" Morgana meowed in worry. The last card seemed really hastily done in eyes. It simply lacked any style.

"How about we let Yusuke do the card? He is the most artistic out of all of us." Ann suggested.

"Wouldn't we run into the same problem as before with our teachers? He'll know his art and writing." Akira leaned by the rails and assessed the risks. It was better to have someone Madarame didn't know write it.

"Akira is correct, Sensei would immediately discern my style if I were produce such a card by myself." The blue haired artist said in frustration.

"Come on guys, lemme do it. I promise the next one we'll be even better." The blonde delinquent of Shujin perked up, brimming with a childlike enthusiasm. He was going to make Madarame know for sure that the Phantom Thieves would be after him.

"I'm with Ryuji. In fact, we could combine Yusuke's art with his writing, it would be much harder to tell and would remain consistent with our last card. The more variation in writing would actually higher the chance of this being seen as a prank." Souji reasoned, reminding the others that anyone could potentially make calling cards as a threat. A different writer with contrasting prose might lead their message being taken less seriously.

"Yea! What bro said, we don't want people thinking this as a false alarm right?" Ryuji jumped up from the new boost in confidence by Souji.

"Designing a calling card, hm...Interesting. It shall become proof that the Phantom Thieves exist." Yusuke thinks to himself, ideas already bubbling up from his imagination.

"Sweet! This is gonna be great! Can't wait to see the reaction on Madarame's face!"

"With that settled, you all better be ready to take on that palace." Morgana gave a serious warning.

...

A busy art gallery lined with people from walks of life browsed the extravagant exhibit, taking in its mesmerizing artworks of all styles and genres. A mother and her child enjoyed an amiable portrait of a shy black cat, while a group of students crowded around an abstract piece, attempting to extract a higher meaning from its jumbled shapes and torrent of messy colors.

Among the lively crowd came a man, who quickly through several groups of people. "Pardon me, sir. There's a matter we need to notify you about…" He approached the older looking man at a booth.

"Please excuse me for a moment." Madarame stepped away from the few journalists he was speaking to. "What is it?"

"We found this outside…"

Akira watched the elderly master of art's eyes widen and angrily crumple the little red paper. The man only become even more furious once he learned the same slanderous message at been pasted outside, all over the exhibit walls. "Heh, he took the bait."

"It appears our card has caused quite a stir on mass media as well." Yusuke scrolled through the multiple news sites, Tokyo Daily, Japan post, and so on. All of them have apparently picked up the story and related it back to the Kamoshida case. In short, the message spread like wildfire.

"The treasure should appear soon too, let's get to work. Remember, we only have one shot." Morgana meowed for the bag.

"No, worries! We'll take him down just we did with Kamoshida! Right bro?" Ryuji smirked, thinking back to Kamoshida, who literally fell seconds after dealing with the man.

"We can't always rely on him you know…" Ann gave a sigh.

"Yea, we'll make him confess all his crimes. Reach out for the truth right?" Souji smiled.

* * *

 **Oh, and as I'm sure you noticed, at the request of Anon and Wes, our favorite blue-haired corpse is now on the character list. Why? I dunno… literally, I'm not even 100% sure at this point. Either that or I could be lying to you guys again… I've certainly done it before (in my defence, I did tell you all not to trust me). And again, FUCK ODD NUMBERS (I don't even have OCD and I hate them).**


	11. Chapter 11

_**To the reviewers from Wes**_

 _ **Kamen Rider Evol: The questions are only starting, we have a lot more surprises incoming.**_

 _ **Ms Guest: Thank you! It'll only get messier as time goes on**_

 _ **Guest: We didn't intend to make the ship at first, but it just naturally bloomed into reality by itself lol. Poor Sae, she doesn't know what she's getting into by helping her. Hmmmmm I wonder too about him...**_

 _ **Fluoricia: That would make a pretty funny fic idea. Imagine him messing with Goro.**_

 _ **Ravenm: I hope so too. He is recovering with the p5 cast helping him. That ship is a strange one.**_

 _ **Mr nod: The world may never know.**_

 _ **Anon: The way Tatsuya ended up was not pleasant**_

 **Oh god, now you're answering reviews? Shit, I really am downgraded to just an editor now! NO!**

 **Eh, whatever. I almost puked reading this... it'll make sense soon.**

 ** _Tough luck next time buddy._**

* * *

"Fox, Panther, everyone! Let's get out of here!" Joker leaped off several spiral blocks that made up the outside of the museum, parkouring through multiple platforms along the strangely ordered steps that were not too far from resembling a certain Escher painting. He eventually made his way down the first part of the bizarrely structured building.

"Whoa! I didn't we'd be this high up!" Skull said, stumbling and almost slipping on one of the platforms, looking down at deadly drop below. Running on top of the large building may have been exhilarating at first, but he still had to remember it may also likely lead to his own death.

"Are you ok?" Panther came over to check on her friend, catching the rowdy blonde by the hand.

"Yea, thanks" Skull regained his balanced, standing up again.

"It looks like we still have a way to go to get down. We should keep moving." Morgana observed the miniature parking lot from above, taking in the stormy navy blue sky and its many scattered lights that dotted the gloomy palace. They had to get away before Madarame could catch them with the treasure.

"Perhaps we should locate entrance and make our getaway from another part of the museum?" Fox suggested, noticing all the arched pathways that lead to certain areas inside the building. Maybe the team could slip their way inside and sneak by Madarame like before?

"That was I what thinking too," Joker gestured to what looked like a glowing red passage that stood out from among all the glimmering gold. The crimson gate was easily the most eye catching out of all the ugly repetitive colors of the gaudy building. "But seeing how we made this palace go on high alert, it's going to be gamble that we don't run into the main shadow like last time."

"You mean similar to our last exit from this palace?" Fox gritted his teeth, recalling how Madarame had easily ambushed them, hastily leading to his awakening. If the art master was truly trying to mess with them, then there was no telling what he might do if they had one of his most prized possessions.

"Then how about this?" King stepped forward, pointing to distant ground below. With the building being countless stories high, the others paused at his outlandish idea. "This way we'll cut out Madarame altogether."

"What—bro! You can't be sayin' that we all jump right?" Skull reeled back, recalling back to his slip up. He cringed picturing himself as a bloody mess on the floor from his accidental slip.

"Are you serious?!" Panther said in shock, her body practically backing away from the edge on reflex. "That's way too far down!"

"And what do you vermin think you're doing on my museum?!" Suddenly, they heard a new voice emerge from the darkness, with a massive pool of ichor gathering from the ground and molding itself in several familiar shapes. Inhuman yellow eyes now peered into the very souls of the intruders, along with his several shadow henchmen.

"Madarame!" Skull shouted back, waving his pipe in his air, ready to summon from his mask, yet before he could, the shadow master had sent forth a whirlwind of spells that quickly knocked several of the team members off balance and away from each other. Multiple blasts of white ice swept the teenager off his feet and cut into his flesh. However, instead of falling right off the museum, he managed to clasp onto one of the sharp golden blocks that made up the bizarre platforms.

"Joker, watch out!" Fox stepped forward, calling forth his own bombardment of bufus that merged with an oncoming blast of ice, fusing into a massive explosion of frost and shattered crystals that scattered all over the palace roof, mixing with the floating petals of gold. The blue haired thief was about to make his next move when he heard a clashed of metal as he saw their raven haired leader barely cover him from another shadow ambush. With another sharp meeting of blades, the shadow jumped back and twisted itself into a pool of dark ichor that eventually sprang forth a masked winged humanoid.

"Thanks Fox." Joker raised his knife in defense, seeing several more similar winged beasts emerge from the sky. "He got us good huh?" He smirked, a spark of rage in his eyes at being ambushed them so easily. The old master managed to separate his entire team.

"He is truly a vile man…" his heard his friend agree, unsheathing his blade.

Panther sped up a flight of golden stairs while be chased by several canine like shadows hot on her tail, chomping slicing at the concrete beneath her, causing a mess of broken stone and destroyed roof in the wake. Stopping on top of a platform she summoned Carmen to shoot forth several pillar of flames, thinking it would fry her enemies to a crisp, yet the opposite happened when the horrified girl learned the fireballs had almost no effect on the creatures. She cursed herself, quickly pulling out her automatic and shooting madly, filling the shadows with a hail of deadly lead. The sporadic sparks of yellow forced the monsters to spaze in the air and finally drop to the ground, where she used her to whip to pick up the bodies, using them as projectiles, doing a small dance like Carmen and knocking the remaining enemies out of the air.

"That was close….." She sighed in relief, only to see blue lighting illuminate a section of the building somewhat far from her. "King?" She muttered.

The persona veteran positioned himself in the center of what seemed to be the largest gathering of shadows in the area. He watched them all surround him in what looked like a mighty show of force by Madarame, yet none of them where even able to touch him. He picked up his sword and sliced through a few Jack Frosts, twisting around to catch two winged Tengus and finally blasted the entire group with a barrage of wild blue lighting that ate away at the majority of their entire shadow army, producing a thunderous roar that was heard throughout the entire building.

"Now who's next?" He said with his whole body coated in a thin layer of deadly electricity, his grey eyes practically transformed by the foreign white light, turning them into luminous silver.

"N-No! Please spare us s-sir!" Instead of launching another futile assault, one of the shadows spoke up from the group. A graceful blue woman floated out of the horde, while the rest all cowered in fear at the man's display of power. "We p-promise we won't hurt any of your friends! P-please spare us!" Her voice was barely but a whisper.

"Oh? You attacked me first….what makes you think I'd let you go just like that? " King answered back, the blue sparks in the air grew more intense. He noticed a few of the younger shadows cling to their older counterparts out of fear. It was like he was holding a knife to every one of their throats.

"W-we can always offer you some money-!"

"Don't give me that bartering bullshit!" They felt a strong force knock them back as King smashed his foot into the ground, cracking the concrete around him. "You all do as I say, or you can all go to hell!"

* * *

"Haha, did you really think you could get away so easily Yusuke? As if I'd let you have this that easily!" Madarame said, standing on one the highest platforms of the building. A glittering gold frame in his hands, similar to the one Morgana had snatched from the security vault.

"You mean that the treasure was a mere fake...? What made you change like this?! It is because you became famous?! Can't you understand how much it pains me to inquire about the crimes of my foster father?! " Fox shouted, pain filling system, as he leapt from block to block from the high building. He sliced an oncoming long canine creature that just barely missed his arm, letting it break into pieces of ichor that faded into the air.

"Hm? Change? Why it was all because of your mother of course! Her skills were quite astonishing you see...And it was for that reason I changed my ways, by taking credit for all her work! You could say it was all her fault!" The shadow master said gleefully, watching his pupil's eyes light up in anger, climbing his way to the old master, while being knocked to the floor by a stray blast of fire.

"Fox!" Joker called from above, descending from the air and brutally slashing at his friend's attacker, hurrying down to see his teammate struggling on the floor from the burns of the pervious blast. He watched as the blue haired teen tried to maintain his consciousness while glaring hateful daggers at Madarame.

"I suppose I can grant you a gift before you die-a glimpse of the genuine 'Sayuri'!" Madarame further taunted his downed pupil, by displaying the beautiful red and gold painting in the air. He clutched his chest in pain, not from the burns, but from the realization of what that picture could mean. He could make out a spec of white that resembled a baby, even from his distance.

"T-this...can't be," Joker could hear his friend whisper through his harsh breaths. "Mom…"

"You see...your mother just so happen to have a seizure in front of me. That's when a thought crossed my mind...If I don't call for help and leave her be, I could obtain her paintings without any strings attached…She was so weak that no one would suspect anything but sickness if she were to have a seizure and drop dead." The shadow spouted on endlessly, finally revealing the ugly truth.

"….you killed her"

"So it's mostly thanks to you that I changed Yusuke! You have my gratitude." Joker could feel several more presences starting to creep up near them. Trying not to panic at his situation with his team completely scattered and a critically injured persona user, he slowly took a deep breath.

"Can you stand?" He gently supported the blue haired teen, pulling off the best healing he could for his fox masked companion. It wasn't near as experienced as Morgana's, or helpful as Panther's, but it was enough to fix some of the minor burns.

"Y-yes, thank you" Fox weakly stood up on his own, clenching his sword in a shaking rage. "If you are about to inquire if I can still fight, I intend to fully play my part in this battle." He said seriously, glaring at his black haired leader, who gave him an approving nod. Together, they identified the many shadows that crawled up to their platform, trapping the two in a closed circle formation. They watched as some bared their fangs, while others readied to fire off several elemental spells. However, instead of backing into a corner as Madarame expected, he saw the pair look up at his general direction.

"Madarame!" Joker shouted.

"You have lost every reason for me to forgive you!" Fox yelled, "Everyone reason for me to still respect you has disappeared without a trace at this very moment!" He pointed his sword in the air, "You aren't some rotten artist...You're a despicable fiend who wears the skin of an artist!" His breath quickened, his heart raced as he finally let out all his years of pent up frustration. From the abuse, to the theft of his works, Madarame was a vile monstrous man!

"I gave you everything you good for nothing brat! If it wasn't for me picking you up from your mother you would be dead! How dare you speak to me in that way!" The words of the injured persona user had managed to savagely cut through the art master.. He slammed his to the ground, "Guards! Kill them! Kill them now!" He ordered with a callous cry that sent his shadows into a vicious rage that quickly descended upon the two weakened thieves. A horde of masked tengu dashed and sliced at the two on the floor accompanied by a barrage of colored beams that raced for its target.

"Arsene!" Joker hastily called on his original persona, summoning a red top hatted creature with great obsidian wings. "Grab on!" He yelled to Fox, who quickly hang on to the floating apparition. With one mighty flip of Arsene's feathers sending the surrounding shadows back along with an explosion of blackness that masked their escape, the gentlemen persona managed to dodge the oncoming barrage of fire as it swayed unstably in the sky, avoiding countless streams of wind that swept through the air, threatening to shake the two after their sudden departure. Joker commanded the creature to fly in a fast zigzag pattern to avoid enemy fire, however, this was short lived a plan as he saw countless Tengus try to cut him from the air.

"Tch! Go get them!" Madarame commended, growing more aggravated the more his shadows were taken out. He watched the two hitching a ride on the gentlemen persona that was heading straight towards him, fearing the worst he called forth a mass of airborne tengu that would hopefully shield him from the oncoming assault.

"Fox! Can you blast them with your ice from here?" Joker said, hanging onto Arsene as it ascended further and further into the sky, moving so fast that their surroundings soon became nothing but a series of dancing colors and moving blurs. The once fixed golden cubes now become almost an indiscernible sheet of yellow among the constant motion. Pulling out his blade and channeling an powerful Eiha into the dagger, he raised his hand in an upwards motion and cut down a shadow that flew in the way.

"I can try." Answered the fox masked teen. His face creased as he shoot forth a blast of cool frigid winds that raced through air forming into solid chunks of deadly ice that burst from the inside of the tengus, turning them into tiny black chunks in the sky. However, just as the previous batch of shadows disappeared, they were rapidly replaced by another group that protected the delusional art master. "That coward," He said seeing Madarame desperately protecting himself again.

They would be surrounded on all sides if they attempted to ascend any further.

"Don't worry. I may have a plan on how to get through this." Joker smirked at him from above, yet the young persona user could sense a tense air around him.

"And what might that be?"

Madarame laughed at their futile attempt at try to hack away at the shadow shield he had formed around himself. Until he saw something small and blue emerge from the clouds. A simple azure jewel that sparkled among the airborne shadows who all stopped to observe its silent beautiful. Until it exploded, blooming into a giant sphere of ice that ravaged its surroundings and blasted the old shadow back at its powerful winds, yet before he could react he saw another object rapidly rise in his line of vision, as a mammoth sized spear head made out of pure ice pierced its way through his confused formation of Tengus.

"What the-?!" he shouted in astonishment at the insanity before him. He saw the fox masked thief jump off from the large weapon and into the air, raising his gun at his face and finally firing several bullets that ripped through his eyes and face, causing him to screech with an unearthly howl of pain. ""Why you little?! AhhhhhhHHHHHHH"

Fox landed on the nearest golden platform and readied his sword for another attack, ignoring the old shadow's pain, he charged forward to finally end the battle, "It's over Madarame…" he went for a horizontal slash with the blade that swiftly collided with the shadow only to be stopped by a stray hand.

"Huh?!" the blue haired thief was abruptly stopped and pushed back by the shadow.

"Fool! Did you really think you could cut me down that easily Yusuke? I thought you were smarter than this" Madarame scolded, completely cured of his pain from before.

"How did you-"

He saw the form of his old sensei started to distort and melt away into a charcoal pool of ichor. "Did you think mere bullets would stop?! I'm a god of this palace! The god of the art world!" his voice become increasingly corrupted and enraged as the old master soon transformed into a series of complex frames with gross bulging eyes that darted from place to place accompanied by two more paintings with equally disturbing facial features. The mouth of the group charged for the fox masked persona user, trying to bite at his arm while he summoned his persona to defend himself. He managed to block the oncoming chomp by lodging his blade into the teeth of the shadow and had Goemon perform a Bufu that enshrouded the frame in exploding ice. However, just as he thought he had gotten the upper hand, he felt a piercing bolt of electricity run through his body, knocking him to the side.

"Ack..." He felt his whole body shaking in pain, noticing the other three frames regrouping to form the entire shadow.

"You see Yusuke? No matter how hard you try, you'll only keep failing in the end! Not with my approve will you ever get anywhere in your pathetic life!" the deformed monstrosity spoke to his former pupil. "Now let me put you down and let you join your mother"

"You think you can just destroy others' lives like that?!" Fox spat back in the shadow's face reading his blade again, the pain would only fuel his unstoppable rage, "I will make you re-!? Joker!" he was cut off from his words he heard a body tumble down from the air and land with a harsh thud. He felt all his previous feelings of resentment and anger suddenly evaporate into pains of worry at the sight of his bloodied teammate.

"Eh…? I'm fine. What are you looking at?" he watched his battered friend slowly stand up with hundreds of sizeable cuts and streams of red running down his face. His entire left arm still encased in a heavy chunk of ice from their previous stunt. "Ready to take this jackass out?" he gave a weak half smirk. It horrified the younger thief how he was still moving after taking that drop and that severe amount of damage.

"Are you sure you're alright….please you don't have to push yourself." Fox's face cringed at the thought of sending his friend out there. He felt his stomach wretch at the thought of him being crushed into a sick arrange of meat and bones on the building floor.

"I'm… ok. After all what kind of a leader would I be if I didn't fight?" he reasoned under hacked breaths, his vision was beginning to go black. He summoned Arsene and readied himself for the palace shadow, "So this is his true form huh? Pretty damn ugly…..Heh, this will be over soon anyway, you won't even last a second with my ultimate move?" he said, or rather challenged the shadow which only aggravated it even more.

"Ultimate move…?" Fox mumbled, puzzled.

"Quiet, bluffing brat! You think you can fool me with such an obvious lie?!" The shadow retorted, knowing full well he was in no real danger.

"Really? What about the stunt we just pulled earlier? Don't you don't I'll have an even worse one up my sleeve?" He face twisted into a crazed smile. He made sure to have his smoke bombs on hand.

"Hahhahahha! There is no way you can pull something as obscene as that again in your state-" but then he saw him raise his hand.

"1...2…." the monstrosity tensed, feeling something in the air. Panicking at the familiar sensation, it charged up its own attack by sending forth beams of pure light-

" **3**!" Joker felt the building shake below him and felt a colossal pillar of thunder rain down from the gray havens, accompanied by a dark figure.

"Madarame…" He heard it say in a low whisper, along with the dragging of a metallic blade on the concrete.

"N-no! I-i-It's you! G-Guards!" The framed shadow edged away, fear quickly eating away at its previous impenetrable confidence.

"Calling on your shadow hordes eh?"

"Gah!" the mouth of the shadow jumped squeamish as it was hit by a stray bufu, barely managing to get away from the small pile of ice on the ground. It then turned, only to be burned by an Onmoraki's fire. "W-what do you think you pests are all doing?! You should all be attacking him! Not me!" His confusion increasingly grew into signs of terror and panic. His eyes started to twitch, his mouth started to recoil in horror. He watched as the smoke cleared around him to find the silver eyed demon accompanied by hundreds of thousands of his own shadows behind him. He watched as those same group of beings raced through air and tore through his own army on a massive battle royale that had ichor pouring from the sky.

"Beat his ass King!" Skull shouted from the sky, along with the others, riding Tengus and cornering the palace master.

"He'll regret tricking us like that! Morgana was next to appear from the crowd.

"Make him cry!" Panther tighten the grip on wipe.

"Now, you have nowhere to run..." King stretched his arms wide into the air, gesturing at the others. He stepped forward, a clap of roaring thunder in every step.

"N-no! Pl-Please-" King teleported into the shadow's misshaped face and rammed his charged blade into one of its eye sockets, yanking, twitching, stirring and finally gouging out the first eyeball of its native habitat, spewing a large spray of ichor that dyed his clothes and ate away at the surroundings colors, painting everything into an eternal black. He heard the monstrosity screech in utter agony, before doing the same thing to the other eye, forcing it in between it's teeth that bite down into the poor organ, he grabbed its frame and brutally tore apart the mouth with his bare hands. Summoning a heavy bombardment of electricity, he burned and shattered the old master's soul, scorching clean of the last of the repulsive painting that dropped into pool of sad ichor.

He grabbed the old man once he emerged from his world of ichor again, glaring daggers into his golden eyes. "How did you think my teammates felt when you were harassing them huh?!"

"L-Look I'll leave you alone! I promise! I'm sorry-

"That's not going to be enough now is it? You ruined a kid's entire life for this shit! Do you think you can make this up just by apologizing!?" He shook the shadow, causing him to whimper.

"F-fine I'll repe-repent and make up—" Madarame begged, finally feeling remorse for his crimes.

"Now hand over the painting…."

"W-what?!" He clutched the portrait tightly in his hands, shaking and startled. "No-"

"Don't make me repeat myself!" He slammed his sword into the ground.

"Y-yes! Here, h-have it!" Madarame felt the demon yank the treasure out of his hands while he himself being tossed to the ground.

"Madarame…" Fox approached the faux master. The palace began to crumble.

"Y-Yusuke….I'm sorry, I really am! Please-

"Return and confess your crimes Madarame." The boy commanded.

"Y-you're not going to k-kill me?" The old man eyed all the masked fiends around him, red, grey and white. "W-wait one's missing…."

"Missing?" Fox said, his eyes narrowing.

"Y-yes, a black mask," The old shadow confirmed.

"A Black mask? Does this mean there's another Persona user we don't know about?" Ann said stunned, sipping from a bottle of water.

"It seems so Lady Ann. But since Yu is with us, I'm not really surprised there might be others like us. Remember how he came from another city?" Morgana reasoned. If a persona veteran like Yu is possible, others similar to him can certainly be a possibility. "Thought, what do you think Yu? Could that black mask be someone you know?"

"That I can't really say, a black mask is too general for me to remember anyone in particular." Souji answered almost nonchalantly, however, he was quite conflicted on the inside. The only known users should be ones with the wild card with all the deceased in Inaba. Unless that wicked nosed demon decided to pull together some sort of new plan to mess with him. It would be the most likely possibility, but then another even chillier thought crossed his mind.

"The palace is gone too. We can't even go back and take another look if we wanted to." Ryuji sighed.

"Even if it that was another user...what do you guys think he was doing Madarame's palace? He must be up to something if he went far enough to figure out the keywords for the Nav." Akira mused.

"Akira's right, we may need to look more into this than we'd originally thought." Morgana meowed.

"Hey, bro! You ok?" Ryuji noticed how awfully silent their eldest member was, he seemed to be staring off into space again.

"Oh! Yea, fine—" Then he saw Ann's irate expression, "Actually...I'm a little tired from palace hopping haha…"

"I agree, that venture was quite exhausting." Yusuke could still feel his entire body fatigue from the entire experience. He was thankful that the Metaverse allowed the healing of almost all wounds and injuries with just a few Dia spells.

"So what are you going to do with that painting now?" Akira asked curious, lazily leaning on one of the rail bars.

"To think that this painting was the source of Madarame's distorted desires…" He eyed the real message being expressed by the picture. It was off him and his mother. "I think I will hold it with me, as it is now impossible to be acknowledged by society now."

"That might not be a bad thing." The raven haired boy said, light washed in from the enclosed glass panels, illuminating the dark shadowy passage way.

"Hm, perhaps you are correct" Yusuke smiled to himself, now feeling the warmth of the light touch his skin, "From the expression my mother is holding in this portrait, I doubt she would have desired either fame or fortune."

"So what are you gonna now? I mean, since we've changed Madarame and all" Ryuji said, cracking open a can of Pepsi.

"I had forgotten to ask from the other day, but why did you all help me before when we barely knew each other? Why do you do such things?"

"We made ourselves a goal to take down corrupted individuals like Madarame. People need to learn to not abuse their powers." Akira answered seriously. There was plenty of bitterness in his words and a strange fire in his eyes.

"We want to give courage to those who couldn't themselves" Ann said, as fully charged as Akira. If it wasn't for the group's intervention, she would have never found the courage to stand up to Kamoshida.

"You mean the courage to stand up for themselves, correct?" He thought back to his worries regarding Madarame and his inability to act.

"Precisely," Morgana confirmed, sitting on top the rails.

"Then the same can be said about myself right now. Moreover, if we investigate these palaces, it may bring me new found inspiration for my works"

"Should we hold another welcome party? You'll be joining us officially now." Souji joked, patting the artist on the back, startling the teen. The veteran was practically fuming on the inside.

"However, please do not push yourselves so hard next time." The artist's tone became grimmer, especially glaring at Akira. The amount of damage the boy had sustained was unimaginable, "I don't want to see anyone injured similar to that again. We may be able to use the palaces to help others, but we can't anything do if we are facing complications ourselves."

Souji was just as surprised as the others at the swift change in Yusuke's mood. He might actually like this kid.

* * *

Souji heated up a hot bowl of soup. His eyes bore into the murky waters, as he continued on in a robotic like state of apathy, slowly reaching for a spoon situated somewhere in the general area. He had a hard time tasting any of its sweet pleasant aromas, instead preferring to be trapped in prison of his dull mind. Stealing from the golden palace had lessened another burden on his shoulders, yet with the fall of it into the deep depths of the metaverse also brought up a few other worrison some questions.

The black mask, or rather, the new persona user intrigued him, but also mildly disturbed his feeble soul. He knew the mostly like answer to his question would be to simply say it was another one of the velvet demon's scheme, but somewhere deep down he clang to another hope. The hope may had seemed freakish to most and unlikely to anyone else, but himself, yet his desperation managed to skew his already fragile state of mind.

Could it be one of his long dead friends?

No, it couldn't be possible, but would it? He had believed they all perished long ago, but he ran before he could witness all their broken corpses dotting the hard battered ground. Blankly, he stared back at his tired reflection in the red hot soup, until the once familiar faces of the deceased started to bubble up from the furthest reaches of his bleak imaginations. At first their appearance were nothing out of the norm, until they were all layered over by several black masks.

* * *

Long obsidian chains draped from the dark abyss, swaying in the silence of the shadows. Hard steel bars dug themselves into cold stone forming a circular row of neatly arranged cells, carefully obscured by rolling ominous blue fogs filling the dry air.

Akira opened his eyes in a cold sweat, feeling a familiar tingling sensation pass through his body. Panic arose from his chest as felt the same cold tinge in the air, the same azure fog, the same stuffy bedding and the same feeling of intense dread that would accompany him every time he entered into this...place. He wanted to close his eyes and hopefully somehow leave this hellish prison but no matter what he tried he could never escape from this nightmare.

"Trickster…" He could hear a low growl come from the outside of his gated jail cell. Among the twisted black of the chains and steel around him, he could make out a figure of a long nosed man accompanied by two pairs of unnerving yellow eyes beside him. The entities' glares bore into his soul and seemed to penetrate even his mind, viewing his deepest darkest desires.

"Igor," The raven Wild Card gripped tightly onto the bars of the dreaded cell.

"I have noticed your recent hesitation in regards to my Velvet room, it will only hinder your rehabilitation in the coming future." his next words made the Wild Card's heart drop, "What has caused this deep rooted hesitation Trickster? Is there something you are hiding?" Unlike before, his voice became now had a hint of anger.

"Why have been avoiding our master inmate!? Speak!" One of the yellow eyed girls smashed her baton onto the bars of the cell, startling the boy.

"It is for your own well-being that you express your worries inmate, please tell us what is troubling you." The meeker of the two spoke.

Akira tried his best to maintain a neutral expression. He thought back to the talk with Yu and the multiple warnings the man gave regarding the entities inside the blue room. How they were only using him for their own plans and activity guiding him to his own ruin. From the way he had been avoiding Igor for the past few weeks, the old man must have noticed the change in his recent behavior.

"I wanted test out some of my persona abilities to see how far I can push myself before I come here." The Wild Card carefully chose his words, not what the entity was truly thinking.

"Are you saying you don't require the help of our master inmate?!" Caroline banged on the bars again, only to be stopped by Igor.

"No, is it fine Caroline. Let him speak." The small girl stopped at the order of her master, yet still held an irate expression.

"I found that I can develop my abilities even further the longer I store a persona. For example channeling their spells into my weapons, or enhancing myself. I want to see how far I can go before fusing them into new ones." Akira argued, and there was a bit of truth to it.

"I see. That is a very interesting perspective Trickster, to utilize and foster a persona to its max potential rather than disposing of it for the sake of quick power. I am rather curious of the results of such an experiment. Very well Trickster, I shall allow it for now."

* * *

Makoto walked through glittering streets of the city, passing by the brilliant mesmerizing nightlife that illuminated the many sights of Shibuya. Stores adorned with extravagant neon billboards of red, blue, green and so on glimmered against the darkness of the night sky, giving new life to their blacken surroundings. People conversed on the many brick lined walkways that stretched throughout entire shopping district, often saddled with heavy retail bags, or boxes brimming with piled up leftovers from night.

The young Shujin council president carefully hid behind a corner of a store with a grey book in her hands. She leaned forward to observe the crowd walking by, seeing a group of teenage girls exciting from a clothing store, or a few drunk businessman loitering in the streets, struggling to find their way home. However, despite all these being valid and intriguing options for people watching in the city, the young girl chose to only keep her eye on one single individual, or rather two if she was counting the older man he was with.

"Now just what are they up to…?" She observed the pair strolling ahead of her in the shopping district, among bustling Shibuya nightlife.

"So what was this place you said you wanted to take me? Shibuya's storefronts weren't exactly what I was expecting." She heard the older one say. What was Akira Kurusu up to this time? Were they going to do something shady?

"Nah, secret. You'll see when we get there." The younger patted the older on the back, walking nonchalantly. Why didn't he want to explain himself.

"Not even a hint? I'm surprised you didn't tell the others to come along." The older began again. Now that she recalled, this was the same man who tried to throw off before with his 'magical power' speech. If he defended Kurusu so stubbornly then the two must be working together. Now that she thought about it, having an connection outside the school might make it infinitely easier to pull off a crime.

"Pft, this isn't a team meeting. Besides, I want to settle something." He said as they stopped at one of the brightly lit buildings in the distract. "With this!" he passionately pointed a large sparkling sign.

"Huh…?" Makoto could feel herself body react in disbelief, almost dropping her book.

"You want me to buy you a kids meal?" The man eyed the special offers menu for the week. It was advertising the new big bang kids deluxe.

"Yes-no! I meant the other advertisement."

"The Big Bang Challenge huh? You still angry about that buffet eating contest?" the grey haired man chuckled, walking inside.

"That left a horrible aftertaste in my mouth, I should be tasting sugar after Kamoshida." The younger followed and settled at a table. Makoto was about to leave at the ridilouscus turn of events, but the mention of the school's old gym teacher from Kurusu had gradually revived her interests. Maybe he'll slip something by mistake. Slowly and cautiously, with a book to her face, she took a seat in the furthest table of the fast food place.

"Thank you for taking the Big Bang Challenge!" A girl dressed in complete big bang employee attire said while handing out two plates of enormous hamburgers. The brunette, along with a few others in the restaurant was stunned by the sheer size of the monstrosity being passed out before them.

"It's...huge." she said, looking down at her own regular sized burger. The Comet burger, as the employee referred to, would have taken up the space for ten standard burgers and could have feed two thirds of the entire student council. Not even mentioning the amount of calories and bad cholesterol the thing must have under its steamy orange bun with the oozing cheese and multiple piles of processed beef. Eating something so packed with fats and other unhealthy ingredients sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine, until she heard them speak again…

"Hey, can I get an additional order of extra-large fries to go along this? Sorry for the inconvenience" Souji asked politely, scratching his head.

"Sure sir, right away-"

"Can I get that too? And can you add another cheese burger to mine?" Akira was the next to speak up, he smiled at his friend with a hint of malice.

"Coming right up-"

"Add that to mine too, but make that four burgers extra please. And give my buddy here the kids me too alright? The older man gave a grin back.

"O-ok?"

"Actually, can I get each and every one of the entire menu?" Makoto's eyes darted back and forth, growing more uncomfortable as time went on at the idiotic exchange between the two. Did someone like this really manage to threaten Kamoshida?

"Make that twice the menu. I don't think I'll be satisfied otherwise." Soon, two mammoth sized mountain piles of burgers were rushed out of the kitchen with several staff behind the original carrying several more trays. Passersby from the windows and dinners inside watched in astonishment as the two gulped down an inhuman amounts of food one by one, burger by burger, fry by fry. The two stared at each other intensely, both gazes burning harder than a thousand fires all at once, watching the other for any sign of weakness at the freak pile of fast food.

"Aren't tired old man? You don't look so well, leave the rest to me ok?" Akira bite into a cheese burger, letting the lettuce and tomatoes scatter all over the table. Makoto could feel her lunch begin bubble up from her stomach.

"Akira, Akira, Akira...You shouldn't disrespect your elders like that. This isn't even ten percent of my food capacity!" Souji savagely downed a bucket of fries, almost choking in the process, downing two cokes just to wash down the fried potato sticks of death.

The boy narrowed his eyes, "Yu, Yu, Yu, your name makes a great pun-" without any warning, he clenched his mouth before puking pure regurgitated food akin to a fowl jet stream in the man's face and floor.

Worse than any shadow assault, Souji could completely feel the impact of this attack….

* * *

Akira stood in the bustling train station waiting for his ride to Shujin, leaning against one of the concrete pillars. He saw similarly dressed people standing near the same line, yawning and taking in the tired morning air. He scrolled through the daily news section on his phone, seemingly unaware of the world, until he felt someone approach him. Raising his head to face whoever was there, he found himself meeting eye to with the student president.

"I...I want to...ask" She stuttered in her words, unlike her usual refined character, a rather defeated face adorned her face.

The raven haired transfer bit into his breakfast, "Yes?"

"I-is that a burger?" The brunette said horrified, reminded of the incident from yesterday night. She had to run straight to the restroom herself.

"Yep. Want some?" He offered, pulling another out of his student bag.

"Thanks, but I'd rather not…" She declined, not wanting to be near Akira any longer and walked away.

"What was that about? I was sure she was going to interrogate us again." Morgana popped his head out of the bag.

"Dunno."

* * *

"So what's the code name for this operation?" a meek boy said in shy excitement, smiling at the pink pamphlet displayed on the table.

"Operation babe hunt? No, that wouldn't be right." A raven haired student sat musing outloud to the rest.

"I've got nothin'" a blonde said in a deep sigh.

"Hey, since we'll be watching them, it should be something like…'operation Maidwatch'!" the dark haired student suggested. They were going to be carefully observing the maid after all.

"Nice! Think we'll go with that Akira?" Ryuji asked, turning to his transfer friend and leader.

"Hmmm," Instead of answering straight away, the boy had a deep look of contemplation on his face.

"Something wrong?" Mishima tilted his to the side, curious of what Akira was thinking.

"Ryuji, you found that in your home's mail box right?" The bespectacled transfer questioned.

"Yea, so what?"

"Don't you think that advertisement was meant more for the adults in your house? I don't think they would send something like that to a high schooler would they?" He pointed out to the group, businesses like would never serve minors.

"Wait, Akira's right. Even if we did call for their services, I don't they'll do it for us anyways." Mishima said disappointedly, "And here I was hoping to see if they were being truthful too…"

"That's not the only problem we have to contend with." Akira reached into his pocket, pulling out his smartphone showing an unfamiliar number on the screen, it was the same method he had used to mess up Madarame. "We'll have to spoof our number too."

"Yea but, how are we going to get past the adult problem?" Mishima voiced his frustrations, still feeling hopeless at their situation.

"Don't worry about...heh, I know the perfect candidate." A manic grin spread across his face.

"Dude, you don't mean-!"

"Akira?" Souji opened to a small empty room full tatami mats and sliding doors. The place somehow managed to achieve more emptiness than his own apartment. The man took a few minutes to look around, hearing subtle hints of laughter coming from the closed off balcony door. He could feel two persona users in the area, both behind the glass. This better not be a prank the veteran thought, but then he heard someone come through the door.

"Masterrrrrrr~~" The man spun around to find an older woman behind his back. The snickering from behind the door grew even louder. "Welcome home, Master" the woman, or rather maid greeted pulling on her dress, doing a graceful small bow.

"What's he doing?" Mishima said from the outside, placing an ear to the glass.

"Pft, I wonder." Akira kept himself from bursting into laughter, enjoying the suffering of others was one of his prime hobbies of choice.

"You sure this was a good idea? Bro's a pretty nice guy," Ryuji said, almost unsure if putting their friend up to this was being a little too cruel.

"So what will it be for today master? The basics of my services include cooking, cleaning, laundry...But there are other 'services' we provide if you desire." She winked, raising her hands, imitating a cat like gesture.

"Did you guys hear that..? Other 'services,'" Mishima pressed his face against the glass excitedly.

"Would he really go for those?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow. His bro never seemed like the type.

"Hmmmm, considering how exhausted I'am right after a day of work...I wouldn't mind those 'other services'." Souji got closer to the maid, gently pulling her into a warm embrace, whispering into her ear.

"Oh my, how thoughtful of you master!" She jumped giddily at his advances.

"Is he seriously going with those?" Mishima said, almost out of breath at what he was hearing. He sounded almost jealous.

"Meowwwwww not there master~, you're so naughty naww! You're making me loveeeee you even more!"

"Not there..? Naughty?" Akira felt like he might have a nosebleed.

"But aren't you enjoying it? It'd be a shame if I did stop." Souji said suggestively.

"Really? Master? You're doing this just for me?" The woman teased, causing a chuckle to sound from the man.

"That bastard…" Ryuji could feel his heart quicken from the inappropriate exchange, the others were just as unnerved. Each of them held an aura of fierce jealousy and uneasiness.

"Of course, not like there's anyone else…"

"Huh?" Mishima felt a chill run down his spine.

"To interrupt us!" Souji forcibly slammed open the balcony glass, producing a harsh thud, closely followed by three bodies hitting the ground, face first.

"Shit!" Akira braced himself, face smashing into the floor. The others were just as unluckily as the group suddenly lost their means of physical support from the glass.

"Ms-Ms Kawakami?!" Mishima backed away in panic, noticing the two adults in the room burning their glares into the teenagers.

"Oh hell no!" Ryuji was ready to bolt out of the building, that is, if their friend didn't straight up block the door with the darkest of smiles.

* * *

 **The cliffhangers never end with you, do they Wes?**

 **Kawakami... man, did her being a love interest cause some problems for people, lol. Meh, I'm pretty sure it's legal in Japan and the AOC in my state is sixteen anyway (well... sorta; it's weird), so I guess it just doesn't bother me as much as it did most people. Although, I gotta say, I'm a little shocked at how popular she became. Jesus, I guess people really ARE into teacher-student/maid-master relationships... weird.**

 **Also: fuck odd numbers. Fuck them to hell. Yes, I'm doing that thing where I add more to the AN/s to prevent the word count from being odd. You guys are used to this now, right? ... right?**


	12. Chapter 12

**DEUS VULT, infid—oh, wait, shit... uh... sorry, my time playing Crusader Kings 2 and For Honor (I'm a Knight) is rubbing off on me. I'm currently seeking to reform the Roman Empire because... because the roman empire was fucking awesome, let's just face it.**

 **Mr nod: Ouch. Could've worded that a little more... friendly? I guess you don't beat around the bush, eh?**

 **RikuShao: ... Wes, I hope you were listening to that last part.**

 **Guest: Chemistry? Pimping? FUCK! If this starts enough ship, I swear to god, the next AN/s is just gonna be filled with me... I dunno, shouting shit I've learned about the medieval era lately, or some unrelated trivial shit no one cares about.**

 **Alexaxegx: He's... 21 or 22-ish, I think.**

 _ **Wes**_

 ** _Mr nod: On some levels that can be true, yes._**

 ** _RikuShao: He and Souji might be banned for causing so much trouble there._**

 ** _Guest: Too bad those shadows faded with the palace, King didn't keep his promise that they'll live. Don't worry...this is just the start of his trolling spree heh. You're gonna like this chap._**

 ** _Alexaxgx: Thank you! Social links won't be heavily featured here, the story is speeding up._**

* * *

"This large-scale criminal act has caused a great shock to the art world, and…"

 _Click_

"Madarame is under suspicion of claiming their world as his own. Some doubt the validity that his maiden work 'Sayuri' was stolen, believing it was used for fraud."

 _Click_

"A group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves posted a dubious note at Madarame's exhibit. The police will investigate their relation to this case, but for now, did not identify them as suspects."

 _Click_

"Phantom thieves huh? Looks like we did it" Akira looked up from his phone, closing the video on the miniature grey tablet, there were hundreds, upon thousands of comments flying across its brightly lit message boards. The web was again in an uproar at the mention of the elusive Phantom Thieves.

"It won't be long now till someone connects the dots to Kamoshida." Souji said softly, turning to the ever changing crowds of the bustling enclosed walkway. News of the calling card had already spread like wildfire, fueling tasteless rumors and petty gossip from the collective masses, once again transforming the world into a silent cacophony of unrest and confusion.

"Man, this is startin' to get interesting...If we do it right, we can change more crappy people like Madarame!" Ryuji stretched his arms in a massive sigh of relief, relaxing from his previous stiff posture on the ground. He saw the others follow heed, as the change of Madarame' heart had hangover them for days, stressing their waking lives, and haunting them in their nightmares.

"And give courage to those who need it too." Ann said, remembering back to Shiho. She was glad she found this power, just like the others.

"Didn't I say it would work? Plus, something like this happening again is massive. It's too great of a coincidence to occur normally." Morgana meowed smugly from his bag.

"I just hope nothing will screw us over if we keep going with this." Akira said serious, putting a hand up to his chin in deep contemplation.

"Huh? Why's that?" His delinquent friend asked in innocent curiosity.

"Think about it. The school has already been on our trail ever since Kamoshida with you and Ann being his prior victims," he then turns to Yusuke, "And now we have a third one joining us."

"That is worrying indeed. We should be more cautious from now on. The more notoriety we achieve, the more vigilant we have to have to become," Yusuke agreed, narrowing his eyes at glimpse of what might be two blue uniformed men in the distance, patrolling the area.

"So you're saying people might be already watching us?" Ann's tone became softer.

"Not might, but already are." Souji nudged the others, causing them to turn to a hidden short haired brunette camouflaged in the thick jungle of busy salary men and other passerby. She held a small book over face, and seemed to jump at the older man's eyes.

"Wait...isn't that Shujin's student council president." The pig-tailed student was disgusted at the sight of the girl. She had stalked them once before, but it seems like she hasn't given up on her quest of harassing the group just yet.

"Student council? May I ask as to why she is shadowing us?" his geez particularly shifted to the blonde troublemaker of the group, "Perhaps-

"Hey, I didn't do anything alright!" Ryuji shot back, not liking the accusatory glare. "And what the hell is with her anyways? Do they want justice for Kamoshida that bad?"

"More like outing you and Akira for being troublemakers from the get go." Ann spectacled, "Sometimes I get a feeling that Shujin doesn't want either of you there." before her rowdy peers could speak again, she gave a defeated sigh, "How long she been listening in on us Yu?"

"Thankfully only for a few minutes, we're lucky that everyone else has also been talking about the Phantom Thieves. Although you three should be more careful at school, me and Yusuke won't be there to keep watch if she does happen to spy on you again." His sharp gaze meet with the young brunette's, forcing her to duck into the buy crowd again.

"Do you think you can look after them while we are gone Mona?" The young artist asked the supernatural cat, unknowingly coming off as mocking to the others.

"You guys can count on me. There no way I'm letting them spill the beans that easily," The cat meowed proudly.

"And if anything does happen, don't be afraid to tell them to go to Kawakami for help, ok?" Souji's voice purposely changed to an amusing, cheery tone. The odd inclusion of the home room teacher had both confused and panic from the two Shujin mans in the group, both Ryuji and his raven haired friend having agitated looks.

"Huh?"

"Fuck you." He heard the Wild Card whisper.

* * *

"What was that about?" Ann stood by Souji on the glass walkway, letting the evening daylight stream down onto the dark bar and pavement. The meeting was over and she watched her disgruntled peers scatter and disappear into the crowded city.

"Are you sure you want to know?" The veteran smiled, "You would hate me forever if I told you."

"You know what? On second thought...probably not" She was better off not knowing if it meant giving her less of a headache. Her imagination was already running a million miles a minute on guessing what happened between Kawakami and the others that made the atmosphere so awkward.

"Then you've made the right choice. I would have made up a lie if you'd asked." Souji said matter of factly, not breaking his plastered smirk.

"Do you have to be so honest? You're not taking this seriously are you?" She gave a disapproving frown, crossing her arms in a pout. She was beginning to feel like the man enjoyed messing with people.

"Oh yes I am. Matter of fact, how can you tell if I were lying or not...?" His once lifelike eyes became a dead sunken grey, his face now withered and worn by the harsh passage of time. Seasons, years and decades seemed to pass through his stone like gaze.

"Huh? Lying? Of course I know when you're lying," She failed to notice the shift in his complication, being stuck in her own little world. Yet, she could not come up with a reasonable reply. The only times she knew the veteran had truly slipped was when he was extremely sick, but otherwise it was impossible to tell whether he was telling the truth or not. However, she did know one thing.

She gave him a kind smile, which even surprised him, "I… Maybe I don't…But I know for a fact that I can trust you. And so do the others. You've always been there for us and even helped when you knew it had nothing to do with you. So I probably won't know if you're lying, but I can't say I can't trust you either. And if it weren't for you...I doubt we'd all be here right now…"

Souji felt his whole body freeze, yet unlike before where fear immobilized his being during his nightmare, he could feel a gentle warmth flood back into his system. He could feel the life that had once been forced out of his soul start to kindle a small unlikely spark.

"You know why I asked such an odd question, Ann?" his words were now softer, his eyes now warmer.

"Hm?"

"Will you marry me?" He stretched out his hand, once again plastering his face with a mocking smirk. He could see the blonde reeled back in shook, her face quickly flushing various shades of pink and red.

"W-what?! Y-You! Now I know you're lying, you jerk!" She went for a right jab that barely missed Souji, who was lucky enough to backup in time.

"Whoa there, domestic violence this early in? That's not a good sign now is it?" He stepped aside a few more swings from Ann's hand bag. He had to admit; the fights in the Metaverse had greatly increased her lethality and made it so she could easily take down men twice her size. Regardless, he started to enjoy their interactions bit by bit, more and more each time they meet, he grew a little closer to the blonde and the rest.

"Yu!" He could hear her call him, who avoided her by climbing one of the higher window panels on the walkway, earning several strange looks from passersby.

"Ok, ok. I'll be there alright?" He leapt down from the shelf, landing in front of Ann, she about to berate him until he spoke again with a light chuckle, "I trust you and the others to have my back too. The Phantom Thieves are guys are a fun bunch to be around."

"You...do?" His words managed to catch her off guard again. She stared back at him with an unreadable expression.

"Yep, and always will. I can't be doing all the work could I? That'd be a little unfair." He relaxed his previous stiff stance, becoming more casual than ever.

"Then...you really do like spending time around us? I always thought you were there because we couldn't do the palaces ourselves…" She said mellow, her eyes drooping, recalling the veteran's reason for joining their operations.

"Maybe at first," He continued, "But did you think I would still be here after Madarame if I didn't like sticking around? You and the others have proven yourselves able to operate in the palaces without me already. So why am I still here?" he stretched his arms wide to highlight the last of his words in a dramatic motion.

"I guess you're right…" She gave him a shy smile, followed by a sigh of relief. "It's good to know you're not just here to babysit us." Deep down, she was glad the men was actually enjoying their company.

"Now how about we go shopping like we planned? The shops won't remain open forever." He pulled out his phone, its screen displaying a time that was quickly approaching sunset.

"Oh! You're right! We have to get to the mall before it gets late." She quickly shifted gears, hurriedly grabbing Souji and headed towards the city train station. During their walk, Souji couldn't help but reflect the blonde's words from earlier. Once again he had people who were close to him in his life. At first, he had come to simply stop the new Wild Card, yet now he found himself also entangled in his journey. In some ways, it begin to emulate his own, which made him even more determined to put an end to Igor. He'll just use and discard the boy, just like he had done with him before—unless he puts a stop to him, permanently. Maybe this time it won't end in tragedy, maybe this time he could finally earn his happy ending.

Strolling through the blurry crowds, he could spot a floating dark figure staring down at him. Its ethereal black form reaching out towards him, yet he did not move, nor did he tremble like the nightmares from before. It then begin to morph into the faces of the long dead, which chilled him but he did not react, because for now, he would try to move on to his second life; a second life known as Yu Narukami, the Phantom Thief.

* * *

Akechi poured himself a cup of steaming coffee from the hospital lounge, being careful not to burn himself in the process. He then gently put back the boiling pot of bitter black for others to us, turning to the section of colorful sugar packets. Usually he preferred his drink with a hint of sweet, but decided not to since he was close to falling over this morning. The bitterness would surely keep him awake.

"So tired…" he mumbled to himself, making sure no one heard him. He needed to remain the flawless and almost perfect charisma detective people knew after all, there was no time for rest. Picking up his briefcase and the necessary files, he trudged himself out of the half empty lounge and lazily made his way to one of the patient rooms.

"Hello again, Miss Margaret, how you doing this fine morning?" He strolled in with his usual faux smile, one that was widely adored and recognized by the masses. Yet, instead of getting the empty greetings, or fanfare he was accustomed to, instead he was met with a tranquil silence. He watched the platinum blonde turn from the window to face him in the doorway, pure orbs of gold meeting a dark red.

"Miss Margaret?" He asked puzzled at the uncomfortable silence. In fact, almost everything about this woman unnerved him. From the gruesome wounds she first arrived with which no normal person could survive, to the indescribable aura of regal-ness that surrounded her. It all felt very creepy and unnatural to the boy. He cursed Sae for leaving her dirty work to him again. He would gladly finish more paperwork if it meant staying away from this...woman.

"You seem to be exhausted in your work." He broke out of his muse, and felt as if she was peering in his very soul. How did she know he was close to falling over? He mentally checked himself for signs of tiredness. His dark circles were masked, his hair was neatly combed and perfectly resembled his promotional material, his clothes were wrinkleless and in pristine condition, no sane person could have known of his tattered mental state. He then heard a light chuckle come from the blonde.

"It was a mere guess," The woman said half amused, the light from the windows bathed the room in a gentle glow, illuminating her delicate frame, making her seem almost angelic and otherworldly, "But you do resemble someone who is often overburdened."

"I-is that so Miss Margaret? Well, sadly you may be right in that regard. The police department has been working me to the bone lately," He quickly composed himself again after his word stumble, "This is why it may be easier if we may discuss your case today. I'm sorry if speaking about this could make you uncomfortable." He got out a recorder, as well as some paper to jaw down any notes.

"I apologize Akechi, however, I cannot much apart from my annual arrive." She put a hand to her temple, a slight tinge of anguish overtaking her eyes.

"It's quite alright Miss Margaret. Usually it takes a few tries for someone to recover their memories. I'm sure what happened must have taken on a toll on you as well." He pulled the notes from their previous session. "Now starting off, can you please tell me your full name?"

"Margaret-...I'm sorry, but I cannot recall my full title." a deep sense of frustration begin to build on her face.

"Date of birth?" His went to the next question.

"Unsure."

"Birth parents?" He moved to the next question

"..." she shakes her head in silence.

"Favorite color?"

"Velvet, deep velvet." the mention of the familiar blue color brought a sense of comfort that quickly washed over her face. "That was not a part of the report now is it?"

Akechi gave a small smirk, "Nope, not at all Miss Margaret. It was just something I was curious about, although it was also to lighten the mood."

"Then may I inquire what your favored color of choice is as well? It is only fair that we have an equal exchange in conversation." The woman relaxed back into her bed, her face becoming softer.

"My favorite color? Well I did put light blue as my preferred color of choice on my blogs, but you could say I don't strongly align to any particular hue in the color spectrum." he spoke honestly, not really caring much about releasing such information. He never really took real time out of for simple thoughts such as this, it was trivial and not worth the brain power to maul over about.

Akechi was about to go back to his questionnaire, when he felt the buzz of his phone quietly disturb their little session. Seeing the familiar number on the screen, he excused himself from the room to take the call.

"Yes, Mr. Shido?" the boy answered, stomaching another gut wrenching call later of the twisted men, he hung up, walking back into the room.

"Sorry Miss Margaret, but I'm afraid I have to leave now. The department just called me back in for some case work." He politely apologized for the abrupt interruption, because he would have another 'job' today.

"No need to apologize. It is better that you hurry back to preform your occupation." She smiled at him, seeing him leave halfway through the doorway. "And Akechi"

"Hm? Yes Miss Margaret?" He was stopped by her words, his head leaning back into the back.

"Be careful…of a man."

"A man?" The boy questioned.

"Be careful of a grey haired man."

* * *

Turning on a silver faucet, he watched the clear transparent liquid flow through, streaming down into the marble white sink. Carefully placing aside his dark gloves, he reached his hand into the small stream of water and splashed the droplets onto his exhausted face. Akechi observed himself in the reflection of the metallic mirror, loathing his own tiresome visage. His eyes narrowing and his brows begin to furrow.

"Soon…" he quietly whispered to himself, eyes of hatred glaring back at his own image. Grotesque images of what could be passed through his twisted mind.

Feeling a dull pain raise from his chest area he placed a hand to ease his discomfort. The last job from that disgusting man had been more brutal than he originally thought. His overconfidence lately had truly led him almost to his downfall.

"Mr. Akechi? Are you still in there? We have three more minutes until the show briefing!" Recovering from his deluded state, snapping out of his twisted daydreams, he turned to the source of the voice.

"I apologize, Mr. Hideyoshi. I will be out in a minute!" He answered back in as polite of voice as possible, reverting back to his original charming persona. Taking a few to pull himself back together, he stepped into the briefing room where everyone was forced through a rough outline for a airing of a popular talk show interview.

Walking out of the meeting room full of greying old men and tv officials he couldn't help but think back to the words of that strange woman. Surly she was just attacked by an older man many years her elder and the young woman was able to fight back, the young man thought, yet there was something that bugged him. Usually he would not dig too deep into a case, but this one felt...abnormal to say the least; the egregious wounds that appeared as if they were executed by a blade, the high degree of burns and lacerations all over her body. He shook his head, developing a mini migraine. He wasn't supposed to worry about this stuff.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your uniforms. Are you students of Shujin Academy?" Instead of focusing on his previous thoughts, he decided to approach a few of what appeared to be people his age. From what he could tell, all three were sporting mismatched pieces of the Shujin Academy uniforms. Two blondes, male and female while the third had an odd pair of glasses accompanied by raven black hair.

"Yeah, whaddya want?" one of them abruptly answered, although quite rudely.

"My apologies if I were intruding on your conversation. It is rare for me to be with peers of my age, and I thought it would seem polite to greet you while I was passing by. We will be filming together tomorrow, after all," He said before introducing himself, anything to get that off his mind, "Ah where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi."

"The Goro Akechi?" the raven haired one said, the brunette noticed how his name had peaked the other's interest.

"Oh! You're that high school detective that everyone's been talking about!" The pigtailed blonde perked up, recognizing his face.

"Who?" sadly, the rowdy looking boy was the only one left unfamiliar on the new change in conversational topic.

"Don't you know? He's all over the news lately for solving all sorts of impossible cases." The girl explained, pulling a few recent solved cases.

"My, I wouldn't say I am that well known among my line of work, so far I have only solved a few cases. To be frank, I'm quite embarrassed by your praise Ms." Akechi gave a shy smile and spoke sheepishly at the female blonde.

"Don't people usually compare you to Naoto Shirogane? I wonder how you two will fare against each other. It would be a battle of the first and second detective prince after all." The raven haired one spoke up again, this time with a much more challenging tone.

"Hm? Are you perhaps a fan of the latter? I too am curious of how that might play out, in some ways, I see him as my senpai," Akechi could care less about how he matched up with the other, but decided to play along.

"You could say I used to follow their cases regularly, it was a refreshing read compared to all the school work lined about my room." the Shujin student pushed up his glasses. He seemed to enjoy their conversation.

"Wait, didn't I hear someone by that name disappeared a while back?" The blue eyed girl recalled.

"Yes. I'm afraid that, that is quite true miss. The story goes that after Mr. Shirogane had gone to investigate a string of bizarre murders in a rural town, and afterwards he never resurfaced afterwards. My theory is that the perpetrator must have somehow gotten the upper hand, or at least done something to hinder the investigation." Judging by the look of the other, Akechi was sure the bespectacled youth had come to a similar conclusion.

"I thought the same, but what's weirder is how the entire town evacuated almost right after. The times all seem too coincidental don't you think?" The raven haired boy reasoned, it was always something that caught his morbid curiosity, along a few other things.

"Indeed. Well, as much I want to discuss this topic further, I'm afraid I have to take my leave for now" he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. "I'm sure we'll meet again soon. May I have your names please before I go?"

"Ann Takamaki! It's nice meeting you Akechi." The pig tailed girl happily greeted, with Akechi returning the gesture.

"...Ryuji Sakamoto." The rowdy boy sighed, a bit annoyed by the brunette.

"Akira, Akira Kurusu." He watched Akira give him a small smirk.

* * *

"Seven, six, five, four three, two, one." Akechi watched the cameras come to life, as someone in the room signaled the return back on air. Different colored lights ran along the room and sparkled across stage set, capturing the attention of the average viewer as the cheers of the audience rung out in the background, signaling the starting of another segment of the popular talk show. The young brunette could feel countless pairs of eyes focused on his very being, while hundreds of people behind their television screens tuned in to catch his special appearance.

"And now, onto the 'hottest Meet-and-Greet' segment of our show. After his last appearance was so well-received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman today. It's the high school detective, Goro Akechi!" He waited for the youthful female host, who signaled his introduction.

"Hello there." While sitting in the front of the room, he spotted the three Shujin students he had met from yesterday in the crowd.

"Thank you for taking the time to join today, Akechi. We've been told there's a case on your mind right now. Care to share, detective?" The male host spoke up this time.

"Ah, yes. That would be the scandal involving the master artist Madarame." The brunette said as scripted.

There it is! All of this phantom thief excitement has caught your attention too, Akechi! Allow me to be blunt for just a second. What do you think of these justice-oriented Phantom Thieves?"

"If they truly are heroes of justice, I sincerely hope they exist." The detective joked, hearing a small cheer from the audience. "But hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Thieves are real…" he paused, "I believe they should be tried in a court of law."

Akechi words seemed to echo themselves throughout the entire room, creating a minute of suffocating silence, eyeing the crowd he observed Ryuji's face scrunch up in annoyance.

"That's quite the statement. Are they committing crimes? Some people even say that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways." The host challenged.

"What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime. However, they've taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from justice. More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person's heart" Akechi reasoned, his voice becoming increasingly dire.

"You do bring up a great point Akechi! If we acted in a way just as these lawless Phantom Thieves, who knows where our society would be now," the host praised the boy.

"Now then, let's try asking some students the same age as Akechi about the Phantom Thieves!" After a period of voting and bit of surprise from the results, the young detective watched the show staff go into a row of students, supposedly to get a more detailed opinion on the matter.

"All right, let's try asking this student here." She said, before handing the mike to a raven haired male. Akira Kurusu was the boy's name if he the detective can recall clearly, he was curious what the Shujin student had to say after their little chat yesterday. "Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves, if they were real?"

"I believe they bring their own brand of justice." Akira's replied, standing himself up in a room full of disapproving eyes. However, he paid no mind to their coldness and regarded them with complete apathy.

"Justice you say?" The brunette was not expecting such a firm answer. "In that case, there's one more question I'd like to ask…"

After the scattering of remaining students from the audience, Akechi picked up his case and stepped off stage to see an impatient Akira.

"Were you waiting for me? Shall we continue our discussion from the show?" He politely engaged with the other, careful to step over the many cables lined on the floor.

"Actually, I was waiting for Ryuji to come back from the restroom, but I guess we can do that." The brunette noticed how the Shujin student was appeared more irritable than their first meeting.

"To start off, I'm rather surprised you sided with the Phantom Thieves. For a fan of Mr. Shirogane, I assumed you would have a similar view on justice." It was a first for Akechi have someone be so blunt on national television and oops his views.

"Don't get me wrong, I may like reading up on his cases, but that doesn't mean I subscribe to a detective's brand of justice." Akira explained.

"I see. Then may I ask for what your definition of justice might be? If I do recall, you also did mention the Phantom Thieves having their own brand of justice on air did you not?" The detective couldn't help but ask. What was the thought process of someone who supported the Phantom Thieves like?

"Then can I ask you a question this time?"

"I don't see why not, speak your mind Kurusu." Akechi watched the boy go deep in thought.

"Let's say there was a corrupted king in a faraway land. That same king was the reason his people suffered through countless wars and famines. Now, I ask, would it be better to change the king's heart and spare the many under his rule, or would should you let the king remain as he and let his people suffer continue to suffer?" the Shujin student's expression darkened at the last line.

"Well, if you were put it that way, I too would want to perform a change of heart on the king. However, the world may not be as simple Kurusu, our laws and justice system have been shown time and time again to be just methods in deciding what is right. But please do not assume that I blindly trust in our system either, as both you and I know that it is only human." the detective knew he was spitting lies out of his mouth, in truth, he had lost faith in the Japanese justice system a long time ago.

"That's exactly my point. Humans are imperfect in their judgements, even the people running the courts are biased in their own ways. How can one completely reject the Phantom thieves' brand of justice and favor the other? Aren't they both proven to effective in some way? And don't tell me they rob people's free wills, I could argue that our established system does more than changing a few hearts." Akira said bitterly, just like the detective, the system had made him powerless as well.

"Then how about we agree to disagree for now? Neither of us seems to want to converse our point of views." Akechi stretched out a hand to the other.

"Yes, it's probably for best that way." he felt the Shujin student shake his hand rather firmly.

* * *

 **6/10/X**

 **Time: 7:34pm**

RS: That Akechi bastard...Thinking about what he said is just pissing me off again.

AK: He sounds like he's trying to push his own agendas by trashing on us.

YN: You think so too? I watched that interview btw. You did a great job of controlling yourself on TV.

AT: I'm kinda thankful that host picked Akira instead of someone else. It shows that not all people agreed with Akechi.

RS: Still, did he really have to do us in like that? What's wrong with helping people?

YK: He argues that by going about our ways of changing hearts, we are activity subverting the law. There is some merit to his perspective, but there are without a doubt people we have saved from our actions. I, for one, am a living proof of that of the latter.

AK: His thinking is too black and white. Our justice system isn't fit to cover everything.

YN: Agreed. If we didn't do the things we did then people would still be suffering now. There was no way Madarame or Kamoshida would have been punished in the positions they were in.

AT: Hey guys, do you really think what we did was right? I mean, like Akechi said we were forcing people to change...I can't help but think that...does that make us seem selfish? Even if they were criminals?

YN: Remember what you said your reasoning was for continuing the Phantom Thieves Ann?

AT: hm?

YN: To give people courage right? Sure everyone here has their own reasons, but that was one of the things we all agreed for the goals of this group.

YK: Yu is correct. We did form the group to help others.

YN: Everyone has their own motives for doing something, so almost everyone action of a person can be labeled as selfish if viewed from a certain angle. Our actions shouldn't be judged by our personal views, but by the greater effect it has on the environment around us. And giving courage to others can be one of those effects.

AK: So you're saying we're all selfish in some way. Heh.

RS: Hey, I did hear the volleyball team was happier after we changed Kamoshida. Even tho we wanted him gone first.

YK: Same here with some of pupils of Madarame. With him gone, they are no longer being pressured by greater forces in the art world.

AK: From what I've seen online, some have stood up to their circumstances too.

AT: huh, I guess in some ways you're right...it's not just us that were affected by their change of hearts. Everyone else's lives changed too. Maybe...being selfish isn't so bad after all.

YN: yep, as long as it's for the right reasons. What we're doing isn't wrong. It is only a matter of perspective.

* * *

Makoto sat the dinner table, as the table was only lined for two. Two bowls of soup matched with two plates of equally cooked pieces of seasoned beef. Ever since passing of their parents she and her sister had been living together. However, often she felt more alone than ever, only experiencing Sae's weak presence whenever she had the possibility of coming home.

"This tastes a bit bland." Sae said, silently drink out of her bowl of steaming soup. She seemed paler than usual.

"Are you ok, Sis? You sound more tired than usual. Did anything happen at work?" Makoto replied politely, it didn't feel like she was speaking to family.

"Do I seem so? No, there is nothing you need to worry about Makoto." The older said firmly, it almost felt like she was confronting an authority figure than her own sister. Other than their awkward conversation, there was no other noise passing through the room, until it was interrupted by a loud sound of the TV.

"What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime. However, they are taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from justice. More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person's heart." A familiar brunette's face appeared on the bright television screen, voicing his thoughts.

"Is it a crime to manipulate someone's heart?" The short haired girl asked her sister, unsure of her own thoughts.

"Depending on the means, yes," yet, the question reminded the older of the day. Images of a bruised woman bleeding to death in an alley begin to surface from her mind. Sae was fairly unnerved by the act of the perpetrator. The thought had halted her train of thought and ran down a completely unexpected direction. What if changing people like the attacker benefited the greater good? "But there can be some exceptions to that rule."

"Exceptions?" Makoto was fairly surprised to hear her sister's words.

"Yes, only if that person has committed severe evil deeds. Why the sudden interest? You do realize you should be focusing more on your studies. Thinking anything else will not help you advance your status in life." Sae felt shaken, but enough for her to scold her younger sibling. It was not her place to worry about such trivial things.

"Yes Sis, I will." After a good deal of lecturing later, she watched Sae leave the room, leave her to her own thoughts. "Justice huh…" Her eyes drooped, she didn't want changed her sister's mind, but if people can change then maybe...

* * *

Akira clenched his teeth, his eyebrows furrowed in quiet fury as he lead the way to the enclosed walkway. He felt his whole body lurch in rage at the infuriating request he received this morning. He cursed under his breath as the sea of people began to dissipate into a group of familiar shapes standing in the distance.

"Akira?" Ann reacted quickly, at first her face brightened at seeing the boy, until she noticed the person trailing right behind him. It quickly sunk into a deep annoyed frown.

"Yo Akira why the hell is she here?" Ryuji pushed his way out of the crowd. The others were equally horrified at the appearance of the brunette.

"Is that…?" Yusuke became tense.

"I had him lead me here," Makoto began, turning her head to catalog all the faces around her, "Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, and Yusuke Kitagawa correct? Second year at Kosei High and former pupil of Madrame?" The girl confirmed all of the suspected teenagers. However, she then shifted her attention to the grey haired men, the eldest of the group. "And you…" He was the only outlier of the group. Apart from their exchange back then at the alley where he tried to throw her off Akira's trail, he was someone she knew absolutely nothing about.

"Yu Narukami." The men greeted lightheartedly, despite the tense atmosphere.

"Right, and Yu...I want to ask the you all about this." Makoto could feel a certain errieness stary creep over her, yet she didn't know where it originated from, "Does this voice seem familiar to you?" she pulled up the recording which everyone's heart drop.

"If it weren't for him! We wouldn't be doing stuff like this as the Phantom Thieves." Ryuji's voiced boomed loud and clear as day on the small black tablet. It was enough for the others to reel back in mild horror.

"What the the—?!" The delinquent blonde was caught off.

"I believe you all are the Phantom Thieves, and I have more evidence to prove it." Makoto said firmly explaining in full detail of her theory. Displaying all her collected evidence, which she was sure it lended her the upper hand.

"She wants our cooperation...or she'll that into the police." Akira's face darkened, feeling hopeless.

"You're blackmailing us?" Ann's face frowned in disgust.

"So far I'm the only one who knows about you. If you prove what you're doing is just, I'll erase this." the brunette held up her phone recording. "And don't worry, this is saved in the cloud too. If anything happens."

"So what would that be?" Yu spoke up, nonchalant, painting a complete contrast to panicked teenagers around her. Subtly glaring daggers into her soul, he made sure she felt it.

"There is someone whose heart I'd like you to change. H-However I can't say yet. Let's continue our talk after school t-tomorrow. On the roof." Makoto blurted out, feeling an immense pressure on her chest. For whatever reason, she begin to feel extremely uneasy and had no idea why. "A-alright?" Hurriedly finishing her business, she did a rough one eighty turn and walked off skittishly, like she was forcing every step, leaving a confused group of teenagers at her abrupt departure.

"Wait what?" Ryuji, still processing the brunette's actions.

"Don't you think her last words were a little odd?" Morgana meow, "She sounded extremely confident when she like she had gotten the upper hand around us."

"You felt it too? She seemed really uneasy around us." Akira commented, noticing the president was a lot more jittery than normal.

"I wonder why…" Ann said, still enraged over the threat of blackmail.

"Do you think it might be an upset stomach?" Yusuke too tried to rationalize her actions.

"She was fine the last time we spoke to her." Souji voiced, sounding just as bewildered.

* * *

"Dammit!" Akira screamed, punching the cold alley wall, "What the hell does she thinks she's doing!?" They had no name, no location, and no useful connections to work with. Kamoshida was a personal grudge, and Madarame had the benefit of a close family like Yusuke. Meanwhile right now they had almost absolutely nothing!

"You should calm down Akira, anger will only make it worse." Morgana meowed from the dark.

"What are we gonna do?" Ryuji held his head down in frustration, sitting near the entrance.

"The mafia…." Yusuke eyed the ground in contemplation.

"Can we really do it…?" Ann sounded hollow, her eyes a droop, there was a silent wave of dread in the air.

"There's going to be more than a few broke high school students if she keeps this up," Akira took a deep breath, soothing his anger "If we screw this up, it won't be as easy as going to jail, or even living a normal life again." gazing at the empty sky.

"She's putting her own student body in danger to achieve her goals. You can't call that a council president." Souji said darkly.

"How are we going to get intel on someone that's even eluded the police?" Ann sunk further into her cocoon on the ground.

There was silence.

"Give me a few days." Souji blurted out.

"What!?" The blonde jumped, the shock soon spread like an unquenchable wildfire to the others, igniting a fury of hysteria.

"Did Niijima not say they only targeted youths? You can't even make contact with them without raising suspicions." Yusuke pleaded, blocking the way out of the alley.

"Yu! Stop it! You're only going to get yourself hurt!" Morgana joined in, his fur spiking up in order to seem bigger.

"Cat's right, bro! We aren't just gonna let you go out there like that!" Ryuji was next to help build the human blockage.

"Yu! You better stay or I'll-" Ann came rushing, clinging to the older men's chest.

"That's enough!" suddenly, a harsh voice boomed from the blackness, stopping every to turn to its source. Akira stood unmoving in the dark, "Let him go…", he saw the others giving him horrified and stunned faces, "We can trust him on this."

"N-No! Akira, are you crazy?! He's going to-"

"Morgana! When has Yu ever done something without thinking first? Their leader reasoned.

"But-!"

"Ann, you know he always got us out of the loop when we're in trouble." Akira quieted another.

"This is completely different from the Metaverse, the real world-"

"We barely know him Yusuke, he could have real world connections for all we know." The artist relented.

"Still! We can't just-!"

"Did I say we would sit back Ryuji? As leader I'm going to make sure we each carry our own. We'll be gathering intel all around school and across Shibuya, Niijima did say there were students already entangled in the mess." As he finished, the tension from before slowly lifted from the air, leading to an atmosphere of calm and awkwardness as the others let go.

"What changed your mind?"

"Hm?" Akira saw the veteran turn, gazing at him with curious eyes.

"You were the one that looked the most hopeless a minute a ago" Souji said. It take a moment for the boy to come with a reply.

"Because…" He balled up his fist, shaking "I panicked...and you reminded me that there was no way out. We can either work with what we have...or die trying" He turned towards his team, "I'm sorry guys...I lost my cool there." He put a head to his face, facing the rest of his teammates with a face of defeat.

"It's ok man, we weren't much help either." Ryuji said dejected, sighing to himself, remembering back to the cloud of doom that had previously settled in everyone's mind.

"Akira is correct. It's still not too late to begin our research now. We still have two weeks of time to change this mafia boss' heart." Yusuke starred the direction of the conversation to a more productive path. A path everyone much preferred.

"Let's show that council president what we can really do Akira, you're not the only one." Ann crossed her arms, pools of deep blue now filled with a new spark of determination.

"From what we know now, I say we split into small groups to gather useful intel. That way we can cover more ground in a shorter amount of time." Morgana suggested, with the other nodding in approval.

"Just be careful you don't expose yourselves to the actual members of the mafia." Souji cautioned.

"Are you still going to pursue information alone Yu? We can-" Yusuke asked expectantly, hoping the older would give up and be with the rest of the team instead.

"I'm sorry, guys, but I really have to go alone on this one. There's...someone I know." Souji smiled warmly, easing the worries of the teenagers.

"Then can you promise us that you won't be in any danger." Akira became grim, unlike usual, there was no slack to be felt in his words, instead, it gave off a vibe that was deathly somber. Matching the severity of the promise, all of his friends became eerily silent.

"I promise".

* * *

Heavy rain poured from the gloomy sky, a heaven cover by rolling thunderclouds swept across the whole of Shibuya, cover the whole city in a transparent watery vile. Tiny droplets of water rolled down from Souji's face, quickly fading into small pools of black that settled into the flooded storm drains and hard granit. The rain and coldness of the day had greatly matted his short grey hairs, tangled and twisted among the loose strands that settled on his worn visage, ravaging his once normal appearance. His form effortlessly blended in with the tattered concrete walls of the secluded alley, waiting, watching, hunting….

"Face it kid! Ya got no other choice! It's ten million yen or nothin'." A man shoved a blank envelope to a smaller figure.

"W-What?! Can't you make any exceptions? I can't do this anymore! I-I'm all out of yen!" A high aged youth pleaded.

"Then go make some more. Say anythin' to the police and we'll get ya entire family!" The man grabbed the youth by the collar, threatening eyes meet teary ones.

"Y-yes!" The men tossed the younger to the floor, causing a loud thud.

"Now go deliver that damn package!" Souji watched the boy scramble up from the dirited pavement and dart off into the distance.

"Tch! I don't get paid enough to do this job." The man stood in the dry section of the alleyway, breaking out his lighter, until he was interrupted by a deep growl.

"I Imagine not, scum like you deserve to rot in the dirt."

"What the fuck-?" He stopped in his tricks, sending a death glare at the newcomer, a large figure in a plain grey hoodie. For some indescribable reason, he felt all the hairs from his body start to raise as there was a sense of static in the air. It felt almost surreal. "Wh-who the da hell are ya!?"

There was no reply. It approached him.

"H-Hey! Do ya know who the fuck ya even dealing with?!" He felt himself press against the wall.

There was no reply. It was closing their distance.

"Answer m-me!" He reached for his phone, only for the figure to morph into a grey blur that rushed at him at the speed, grab by the neck and ram him into concrete wall. "Ack!"

Souji gripped onto his throat and tightly squeezed, watching the men hopelessly flail and squirm in his hand, fighting a losing to break free. His hands scratched and waved wildly in the air before trying pray away from the monstrous death grip.

"P-p...plea...se!"

"You are you going to tell me everything last goddamn thing about your rotten shit of a boss you hear me, you little bitch!" Souji harshly pressed his head with the other, predatory orbs gleamed in the rain while they met frightened brown. There was something twisted in those empty orbs. He was not going to let his blissful second life end! Just when he thought he had gotten back what that blasted blue demon had robbed away, he had to be tossed into this stupid mess. He could hear the man whimper. He restrained himself from doing anymore, crashing a glowing blue card.

Those kids were had given him another chance at life, and he would protect them no matter the cost.

* * *

"What is she doing?!" a girl screamed.

"We have to catch up to her or else!" a raven haired boy yelled.

"We're never gonna find her." a rowdy boy said in hushed shallow breaths.

"That idiot girl!" Souji stomped on the ground, rage building up fas to a boiling point, losing the brunette in the mad rush of people in the city, just when they were ready to explore the palace.

"Akira! Your phone," Yusuke heard the ringtone, the boy picked up instantly and was greeted with a familiar voice.

"Hello? It's me...Makoto Niijima. Just say on the phone and listen. Make sure you record the call as well," Akira's heart dropped, putting the phone on speak, "Do you guys know Kaneshiro?"

"She's on Central Street!" Souji shouted, commending for the others to follow along while Akira kept the call live, sprinting through the bustling city center, passing, pushing, shoving aside countless passerby.

"He's blackmailing the students of Shujin Academy, is he not?" the voice came again.

"She's being too rash!" Yusuke dodged an incoming couple, avoiding several people blocking the way in an effort to catch up.

"Tell him if he doesn't want me talking to the police about it, he'd better agree to meet with me." the brunette declared over the phone.

Souji was ahead of the pack, going near blinding speeds. Getting far and far ahead until, he was essentially alone, seeing a tuft of brown in his line of sight. He reached out and grabbed the girl's hand.

"You're not going with them!" he yanked at the brunette forcefully.

"N-No! I'm going to see Kaneshiro-" the girl fought back,

"The hell you talkin' bout? She's comin' with us." One of thugs tried to intimidate Souji, a black car's engine roared to life behind him.

"I'm her guardian and I say she isn't coming! The veteran made sure to send waves of death towards the other two, causing them to flinch.

"W-what?!" Makoto jumped at Souji's lie.

"I-I said!" The thug felt his entire body froze. Then a voice came over from his phone.

"Wait, did he say he was her guardian? Tell him that if doesn't want his daughter to be sold off as merchandise that he better get in the car."

"Are y-you sure Mr. Kaneshiro?" the petrified men asked.

"Should I repeat myself?!" The voice became increasingly enraged.

Souji wanted to shout. He could have dragged the girl out of here, but she just had to stubbornly stay. He considered breaking arm in the process due to his speed, but knew Akira and the others wouldn't have taken that lightly.

"Change of plans…" The two thugs weakly smirked, "You better come with us or else."

* * *

"Let's talk about a price" A large man sat in corner of a dimly lit club, full of violet and pink colored lights. The smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke swirled in the air.

"Non-negotiable." Makoto shoot Souji stunned eyes, two men were directly behind them while a third watched from a table. Instead of going along with the Mafia's demands, the grey haired man had been shooting them down one by one.

"Tch! What the hell did you just say me?" the council president could see Kaneshiro's eye twitch, "Men, kick them down" The mafia leader ordered, immediately the men from before came after the two, Makoto trying her to defend herself.

"H-hey! Get off!" She fought back a grab for her should with the slap of her hand and tried to get into fighting stance, before almost being knocked down on her feet, but narrowly avoided the incoming kick. Just when she thought she was about to lose her balance and saw someone grab her wrist, she felt a rush of air while the grey haired men grabbed onto the thug that was clinging onto to her and and a pressurized wave of dread spread throughout the room, petrifying all its occupants.

"Let go…" Souji whispered, glaring at the shaken man, who gradually backed away. He then turned to Kaneshiro who was equally horrified, his face scrunched into a look of cowardice.

"W-what are you guys d-doing? I said-" Kaneshiro grew increasingly unnerved, sweat started to roll down his face.

"H-huh…" Makoto could only stand back watch, shocked the turn of events. Fear and curiosity both overwhelmed her at the grey haired stranger before her. It was the suffocating dread from back then.

"Niijima! Yu!" Akira burst through the room's double doors, shouting for the two. He was expecting the worst along with the others, images of a beaten man and girl flashed through his mind however, what they got was surprisingly the opposite.

"Yu! Are you alright?!" Ann was next to run in, slapping the two thugs aside, trying to get a clear view of the older man.

"What did you do to them?!" Ryuji shouted, fists raised in the air, ready to pummel what he thought were people who harmed his friends. Yusuke and Morgana the only ones to remain fairly composed at the scene….

… until everyone saw a sudden flash followed by a short camera sound.

"W-was that?" Makoto said horrified, seeing a small black brick in Kaneshiro's hand. She felt someone forcefully grab her by the waist and take another picture. "Ack!"

"You see that?" The mafia eyed Souji, "You sure are the amazing dad for taking all these kids to a club." The large man seemed to have gotten his snark back, holding up an image of the minors and Souji.

"Delete that now." The veteran demanded firmly.

"Hm? What did you say? You want this sent to your daughter's school and media? Might even add a bit of alcohol back and drugs back in this shot too?" The mafia leader smirked.

"..." There was no reply.

"Face it, you idiot shit, I've got your entire life now in the palm of my hands. Make any wrong move and say goodbye to your entire family and career. I'll break you."

"..." There was no reply.

"Mmmm, and those are some nice girls you got there. Your daughter will make fine merchandise after you're gone. The blonde one seems like she'll fetch an especially high price too…"

"..." Souji's hand twitched.

"Unless that is….if you deliver me one hundred million yen." The mafia leader's face twisted into condescending scowl.

"O-one hundred million?!" Makoto felt her body drop to the floor. She felt the eyes of the leader turn towards the group of minors.

"And since your daughter has such a large group of friends...you can have...3 weeks to get me the full of amount."

"..." Souji's face became blank.

"Or I'll ruin your life…"

"Very well," Souji chuckled, smiling radiantly, "I can get you one hundred million, maybe even more…"

He was going to protect his second life.

* * *

 **Huh, I just noticed Wes has completely ditched the honorifics. Damn, those were always kinda charming to me, to be honest. Eh, whatever, it happens, I guess.**

 **Also, I gotta say… Mafia… mafia…. MAFIA?! Are they Italian or something?! Yes, I know Kaneshiro's group technically meets the definition of "mafia," but we all know who we really think of when we hear mafia! For fuck's sakes, they even have the yakuza in the game in the form of Iwai; just use them!**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Guest: Oh yes he does, he has a great keikaku!**_

 _ **Alexaxegx: It really does, doesn't it? Souji is desperate as always. Pft local grown ass man hangs out with small high school children. That should be a headline.**_

 _ **KingLuxion: Let's see where this goes. I won't deny or confirm those points.**_

 _ **Blahblahblah: Akechi is going to play a big part in this. Unlike his fate in the original game.**_

 **Blahblahblech: Worst… secret…. Ever. Why did the game make the goddamn mystery like it was such a big deal? It was so obvious! Hell, HE'S NOT EVEN A TRAITOR! He's an "infiltrator," there a BIG difference! Come on, ATLUS!**

 **KingLuxion: …. I cannot unsee Satanael pulling out his gun and looking like he's mugging Izanagi now. Thanks for that. I have a lot to laugh to now.**

 **Alexaxegx: This YuxAnn thing ain't gonna go anytime soon, is it? No? Didn't think so. Wes, I gotta ask… did you plan on this ship happening? Just curious.**

 **Guest: To be fair, Akechi's Wild Card is… shit. I mean absolute shit; just 2 personas and weak-ass ones at that? Pathetic.**

* * *

"Do you know what you just did? What were you thinking?" Souji scolded in hushed breaths, keeping his voice low and controlled, paranoid eyes scanning the empty streets for any signs of the mafia. He was sure he saw someone lurking just moments ago.

"I-I'm sorry...really. I didn't mean this to happen." The shy brunette stood in her place, barely able to articulate the simplest of words, her face sunken, her posture a weak slouch of her once confident honor student façade; a mixture of guilt, fear, and apprehension overwhelming her system.

"It's too late for any apologizes now." Yusuke chided.

"As one of the people who's supposed to be protecting the students you've really done a nice job of keeping us safe eh? What kind of council president lets—?"

"Guys!" Ann shot Akira a searing glare, causing the boy to come to an abrupt stop, followed by the rest "Does she look like she really needs this right now? What's yelling at her like this going to do?" Rather than pinning more blame on the student president, the blonde realized their words would do nothing more to improve their dire situation.

"Ann's right. Blamin' Niijima isn't gonna help nothin'." Ryuji turned to all the disgruntled people around him, "Look at us. We look like a bunch of thugs." As if struck by a powerful spell of rage, everyone seemed like they were ready to pounce at the poor brunette. From an outsider's perspective, they must have most likely resembled a group of bullies ganging up on a lone girl. They were no better than the mafia.

"What is done is done I suppose." Yusuke sighed in frustration, crossing his arms and staring at the ground in contemplation. The others followed his example, each drowning in their own thoughts.

"Look...can we just forget about the Kaneshiro case? I'll take care of the money...somehow. I want to apologize for roping you all into this" Makoto's eyes drooped, she wanted to run away from this all. Makoto had had enough of brewing up trouble for Akira and others. Maybe she could be useful just for this once. Once she pays off this debt alone, she should feel some form of fulfillment for helping someone, as desperate that maybe.

"No."

"Huh? What do you mean…?" The quick, yet unexpected reply made the brunette blink in confusion. She wasn't sure who it had come from, as the single word managed to echo loud and clear through out the area.

"Are you naive enough to believe Kaneshiro is going to simply let us go after you deliver the funds?" Souji stepped forward. "Once he receives the full amount before the deadline, he'll know you have the ability to push out more. He'll just bleed you dry from there." Despite having the title of student council president, he couldn't believe she was such a sheltered girl.

"That is a likely possibility. I would not be surprised if a money hungry man such as him would go back on his word." Yusuke added, "Sending such a large sum of cash would only encourage him."

"T-Then what do you suppose we should do?" Makoto felt lost, her head clouded in a thick layer of fog that clouded her rational judgement.

"We change his heart." Akira answered nonchalantly.

"You aren't serious are you…? Being the Phantom Thieves...can you guys really take on a mafia boss?" She froze in astonishment at the boy's reply. However, she did spot something else in his eyes, something raw and brimming rage and anger.

* * *

"What is this place…is this really Kaneshiro's heart?" Makoto clenched her head in a light daze, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the Metaverse and the strange explanations.

"Pretty much. Kamoshida had somethin' like this too." Skull shrugged, nonchalant to the bizarre, and twisted version of Shibuya around him. Broken down ATMs littered the narrow streets, while others walked on by with a disturbing silence and vibe of apathy

that entrenched the entire Metaverse.

"We can traverse through this world in his heart to overwrite his cognition." Joker further added.

"But you can't go any further. It'll be too dangerous if you do." King stood in her way, acting as a wall to prevent the brunette from exploring any further.

"I agree. It'd be too unsafe having a civilian with us beyond this point" Morgana meowed. The cat watched Makoto's expression change from a brief face of confusion to complete shock.

"What? No! I'm coming with you." The girl stubbornly stood her ground. Did they think she was that useless? No, she wouldn't be rejected again. She was the one who got them in this mess after all.

"We're really sorry Niijima, but it really is dangerous here. There are things that will actively try to attack us." Panther tried her best to comfort the brunette, yet the girl did not listen.

"I can defend myself! Besides, didn't you guys say it was my right to know about this place? I want to see the full extent of what is going on-!"

"It's for the best that you leave. You won't be much help here." Joker abruptly halted her reply, his words cutting into her like a hot knife, melting through her stubborn barrier.

"M-Much help?"

"Please Niijima, we only promised to take you this far." Fox only added to the girl's insecurities. Her hands began to shake. Her body began to tremble.

"B-but!"

"He means you'll be useless to us." King punched the final nail in the coffin as Makoto felt an intense sorrow pierce through her entire being. The man that loomed over her had denied her any choice in the matter. Once again she was delegated to the position of an observer that frustrated her to no end. She had been rejected by her sister, her school, and now the even the Phantom Thieves, the very people that she sought help from.

"So leave…" Makoto didn't know why, but this particular man's words had infuriated her more than usual. If was as if he was actively taunting her, hating her, wishing she would fail and run back home to being just another face in the sea of society. She was a nobody.

"You'll only get in the way-"

"Is that what you all really think!? Am I that weak to you!?" She finally broke, feeling a surge in energy and wind picking up around her, releasing a pressurized wave of air that sent the other into the air. She wanted to scream. She was through with this man and his venomous words, her thoughts soon clouded into a whirlwind of hatred and spite that quickly translated into the outside world in waves of iridescent flames that raged and ravaged the floor beneath her. It burned and shone so bright that it blinded the very world around her, transforming its dull colors into a flaming blue. Seeing this as a chance to flee at her surprise display, she dashed off into the nearest alley to hide her tracks and into the twisted world inside heart of a the man known as Kaneshiro.

* * *

"King! What did you do?!" Morgana yapped, shaking his head, quickly recovering from the fire. They had watched her escape right under their eyes.

"We can worry about that later!" King was ready to speed off on his own, giving chase to the idiot girl would be the top priority now. Cursing under his breath for letting the others take the rash teenager in this far into the Metaverse. They had clearly seen her hasty tendencies, yet despite knowing her behavior they had brought her here.

"Don't you think you were a little rough on her King?" Panther shouted in the man's face, panic evident in her eyes, "Was it really necessary to tell her off her like that?!"

"Bro, seriously?!" Skull swung his arms in a wide motion.

"Guys, if we sit here any longer she'll be mincemeat by the time we finish this conversation! I say we go after her now and I can apologize all you want later alright?" Unsheathing his blade, he signaled for the others follow. He was fuming on the inside, if that stupid kid kills herself by accident, then it would surely break his bond with the others.

He needed these kids.

"As much as I want to complain we have to go after her," Joker felt sweat drip down his face, swallowing a tight lump in his throat, he commanded for the rest of his team to follow with King leading the charge. Together, the group raced off into the direction the brunette had run, scouring the many corners of the city buildings and other parts of the streets for the rash girl.

"She isn't here!" Fox reported, looking through a trashed ridden alley in the city.

"She isn't in the shopping district." Morgana avoided the many broken ATMs that littered the crack ridden streets.

"Me neither!" Skull called out, while both King and Panther were left equally clueless. Feeling more and more agitated at the lack progressive, gripping tightly on his blade, the veteran was close to exploding from his frustrations, until he felt a light breeze lift the hair up from face, accompanied by a surprised voice that alarmed the others.

"Wait, guys look!" Joker tilted his head upwards, a sudden hammer of realization striking his panicked mind, directing his eyes towards the distant sky. He saw Makoto's frail form pacing up what seemed like a ramp to a ship, hovering above in the air.

"She's heading for the palace!"

"Dammit!" King shouted, forcefully ripping off his mask, summoning Izanagi in a pillar of azure flames. He spin around to Skull and Panther, gesturing for them to jump on.

"She's going to go see Kaneshiro isn't she?!" Panther shouted, braving the wind and turbulence, her hair swaying wildly in the air as Izanagi blasted off from the ground akin to a speeding rocket, quickly passing beyond the large Shibuya buildings.

"Ugh, didn't she do the same exact thing with the real Kaneshiro?!" Skull felt the invisible blades of air directly attack his face in a violent torrent of wind. He did his best to hold on.

"Tch! She's going to get herself killed!"

* * *

"I strongly advise that you do not attempt to go elsewhere."

"Do I look like the type to do that?" The brunette said scathing, walking past the empty lobby.

"Reception is just past this door." Another directed.

"..." She stayed silent.

"Reception is just to the right. Don't go anywhere else."

She turned a corner.

"This is the reception office. Hurry on inside."

* * *

"Is she already inside?" King landed with a loud crunch, digging his boots into the destroyed pavement. Orbs of grey scanned around the area in an attempt to locate the girl. From massive golden statues, to the presence of numerous amounts of foliage made completely out of money, the brunette was nowhere to be found.

"Most likely," Joker descended next, along with Morgana and Fox.

"We should hurry inside. It'd be bad if she ran into the shadows!" The faux cat of the group yelled with the team silently nodding along, all in agreement of the plan.

"Let's get'em!" Skull swung his pipe eagerly in the air.

"I'll speed on ahead while you guys cover my back-!" Before King could finish, he was caught off by a sudden quake that rattled his team, rocking the entire palace back and forth, followed by a loud shout that pierced through the entire Metaverse.

"Johanna!"

Soon, several flashes of blue light lit up the inside of the bank, shattering the glass and exploding outwards like a torrent of fireworks that blazed through sky. The smoke and fire from the concentrated energy wildly distorted the environment around it, burning, scorching, and even melting some of the statues and trees.

"Ack!" Shortly after, King heard a yap and watched a black blur zap by his field of vision that painfully collided with a nearby tree at impossible speeds. He saw the brunette spit out red as her body violently shook and snapped back into place from the sheer impact. Her hair now a messy cobweb and her face a scrunched up scowl at the pain and pressure she had felt from the unexpected collision.

"G… guys..." she clenched her chest in unbearable agony, blood oozing from down her mouth.

"Niijima!" The young wild card attempted to hurry over, leaping into the air, only to be meet with a harsh cracking of his own ribs as a red oni dashed out from nowhere and rammed its fists into his back, sending him rolling, tumbling, and finally crashing into the ground. Smeared bits of textured red glazed the uneven grey pavement, not too dissimilar to a mad stroke of an artist's brush.

"Joker!" The others called out horrified, Panther put a hand to her mouth, while the males shook, gripping their weapons. It was not long till several more of the gruesome red shadows appeared from the entrance of the palace, emerging from black pools of sickly ichor and morphing into their twisted forms. Roaring and charging with long blades in hand at the small team, separating several of the members into their own fields of battle. Spells of fire, ice, and dark littered the battle and flew in numerous directions.

King collided with several tons of force with an Oni who tried to slam its fist into his face, only to be stopped effortlessly by his bare hand, creating a sizeable rush of air that exploded outwards due to the immense pressure produced by the collision. However, quickly seeing this had no effect, the shadow raised its weapon its to deal what it thought was a lethal blow to the man's head, raising the giant metallic blade in the air.

"Is that all…?" The veteran stood blankly, tilting his head upwards, cursed orbs of gray met the icy blue of the Oni's. An overwhelming wave of dread poured down on the creature, soaking it in a thick mixture of paranoia and fear. It felt paralyzed.

"W-what are y-you?!" Its once powerful arms turned to jelly.

King heard another gross crack of bones come with a familiar voice in the distance. His aura soon became immediately enveloped in a cloak of darkness and his face lit in the utmost disgusted rage that he pierced through the Oni's chest with his bare hands, crashing and exploding it's still beating heart in his palms, before creating an intense array of lights that toasted and scourged its body to cinder.

"I'll show you who I'm…" He looked to the sunken pool of dying ichor, then to the destroyed field battle field littered with fallen bodies. Smoke gently rose for the tattered and black oozed from the dead. Approaching a wall of shadows separating him from his second life, he raised his blade and slashed at the open air to clear wave upon wave of creatures that kept him away.

* * *

"Niijima stay back!" Joker pushed the brunette away, avoiding a splash of pure ice that went straight from the girl.

"Ku-Kurusu!" Makoto almost fell backwards at the force of the thief's movements, feeling her stomach contents of her day start to make its way to her esophagus at the convulsing body of Kurusu on the ground. His body scarred, his clothes in rags, and his face distorted in a mix of shock and pain.

"You know, you could stop all this if you'd just accept your place," A large, purple skinned man with black slicked back hair taunted, surrounded by several shadows, "Maybe I'll even considering letting him live. You'll be his savior, will you not? You can finally be of use for once."

Condescending golden eyes pierced through her soul, waiting for an answer. She felt her blood slowly turn to ice, ceasing most of her bodily functions; Makoto stood frozen despite being free of any physical ailments. What was she to do? No matter how many times the strange blue explosions she casted, she would always see these creatures replace one another, as if they there was no end. In the clouded space of her mind, she finally started to regret her actions, because now she realized she had made the same mistake from before.

"Well? I don't have all day." Kaneshiro spoke up again, growing more agitated.

For once in Makoto's life, she truly didn't know what to do. She had no direction, no plan, no stubborn reply, just a look of blankness and a feeling of defeat looming over her. Water started to form from her eyes.

"I...I" she choked out her words, only to feel something stop her.

"Hey…"

"Huh..?" she felt a gentle warmth spreading through her hand, noticing a red glove peek out from the corner of her vision. Kurusu, no, Joker looked to her with soft gentle eyes.

"Don't give up just yet…" Despite being run through with icicles and a crimson mess on the floor, he still reached managed to her.

"W-why…?" Doesn't he realize she was useless?

"Don't…"

"Hey Kurusu..hey!" His vision began to fade in and out. His eyelids began to close.

"Tch, little shit." Kaneshiro cursed, motioning his hand for one of his minions who made a mad dash for the downed persona user. The monster sprinted forwards with all its voracity, swinging its long blade through the air, kicking up a large mass of dust before bringing down its monstrous wrath. However, instead of the sick splat of red the shadow was hoping for, it was met with a motorcycle to the face.

"Get away from him!" Makoto clashed with the gigantic shadow head on, using her persona which wrestled with the Oni, holding it off with all her might. Her legs startled trembled at the sheer strength of the creature, but she refused to let it through. "Johanna, Frei!" She swiftly called out, forming orbs of intense light that knocked back the red monster, causing it to be blown by the force of the nuclear fusion.

"Don't you think you can get away with just that you bitch!" Kaneshiro screamed, sending an onslaught of enemies that begin to make their way towards the brunette. Makoto prepared herself the best she could, crossing her arms into a defensive stance, taking another swing from a shadow that tried to break through her human barrier. With another earth shattering punch, she felt the ground beneath her feet start to give way and herself sinking into the floor. Yet she would not move from her position as one went for her head and the other tried to shatter her arm, while the rest pushed on with equal amounts of brutally at the new persona user.

"Face it you idiot shit, you can't deft me for forever." Makoto grit her teeth. It wasn't much longer that she started to see double vision and the shapes around her begin to blur and soften into undefined blobs of color. She was exhausted and her world was starting to fade along with her weakening strength. Yet, suddenly, she noticed a cool sensation overtaking her, as specs of glowing white started to form around her. She closed her eyes knowing what was going to occur next, hearing a loud cracking of ice that was surely going to pierce through her entire body.

BOOM, CRACK!

"Whoa! That was a close one!" Then there was a sudden rush of warm air.

"S-Sakamoto?" she slowly made out the shape of the blonde boy, collapsing to the floor in sheer exhaustion.

"Yo, you ok prez?" Skull reached out a hand, a steel pipe hung at his side with layers upon layers of deadly icicles. The rampaging shadows all but downed by the brute force of the rowdy delinquent.

"Y-yes. More importantly-!" She stumbled in her words, seeing another Oni charge up from behind the boy, ready to deliver lethal attack, only to be restrained by a rose red wipe and a pillar of fire that roasted its skin.

"You're not going anywhere! Dance Carmen!" A pig tailed blonde of what she could guess was Takamaki launched at the beast, tangling the shadow in her wipe and using its body as a large projectile, spinning and tossing it into a row of steel gates that tore into its flesh, tearing its muscle and finally sending it crashing onto Kaneshiro himself, causing a sickening thud.

"S-Shit!" the purple man yelled in pain, "Get off me you filthy bastards! I didn't pay you to fail on me!"

"Your days are numbered Kaneshiro!" Morgana whipped out his trusty sword and chipped through several shadows, which were later skewed by a final attack by Fox, cutting them clean.

"Prepared to face retribution." The blue haired thief stashed away his blade, a cold glare aimed at the massive criminal. The battle was now over.

"Haha...hahahahhaha!"

"W-what the?!" Skull held his ground, feeling a wave of chills pass through him and the others. The laughter of Kaneshiro grew to an insufferable level as it spread throughout the palace, halting his enemies in place.

"You idiots are really pissing me off." With one snap of his fingers, an army of shadows descended before him. From the familiar red Oni that seemed to have an endless wealth of stamina, to the countless other forms of shadow the thieves had never encountered before. Each of them bared their fangs, gripped their weapons, or simply gave their attackers a look of death.

"Holy shit…" Skull mumbled, the scene of the massive army had quickly eroded away any shred confidence.

"Did you brats really think you could get through my top notch security that easily?" The palace ruler spat, now holding the most twisted of grins. "Tch, I should have finished you idiots off earlier."

Makoto felt her chest tighten and her heat stop. There were now more of these monsters than ever. She turned to the still unconscious Kurusu and then to the rest, each of their faces plastered with an equal amount of shock.

"Oh, and you don't have to worry" Kaneshiro directed himself towards Makoto, "I'll make you all work to death as my slaves once I'm done. You all will be forever indebted to me"

"The hell did you say?"

"Hm?" The palace ruler glared with an unblinking gaze.

"I said, what the hell did you just spit outta that shitty trap of yours?" The brunette watched an approaching figure from the distance. It was the same grey haired man from before.

"Hmph. My, if isn't the debtor himself. Oh who was it again? Either way, you have some nerve showing yourself here," Kaneshiro said to the man with condescending amusement, clearly showing he was the superior, "Thought, I must thank you for bringing me such fine merchandise."

She saw him grit his teeth.

"Actually about that, I'm here to pay off my debt." Unlike his brash behavior from before, the tall man softened his tone into a gentle whisper.

"Ah, you mean the one hundred million yen. How nice of you to come crawling to me like a dog and paying your respects." The shadow said aloof.

"Yes, that I am. And will you please let us go if I pay off what I owe?"

"What is he doing..?" Makoto mumbled.

"He's done it now…." She heard Sakamoto replied back, almost quivering.

"Letting you go? Your debt just increased to two hundred million, dog. You thought you had a way out didn't you?" the shadow scoffed.

"Really? I don't mind offering you even more. Don't you think that number might be just a little low? How about a little higher, you know, for the both of us."

"Is he serious?" Makoto became increasingly anxious.

"Hmmm, you're dumber than I thought. To think even my network failed to gather any intel on you. Very well, you shall owe me 500 million yen."

"May, I still might have a few million to spare after this. Can't you go any higher?" The man sounded ever so pleasant. It was as if he was experiencing the greatest joy in his life.

"Do you want me to ruin your sad existence that much? You'll never be able to pay it off you know. Maybe I start by break you now to set an example for the rest. These brats will make fine slaves."

"Is that all you can do? Only 500 million? I didn't take you for someone so humble." The veteran mocked.

"700 million yen."

"Even higher." The man egged him on.

"800 million yen."

"Even higher" The veteran pushed on.

"One billion yen!" The palace shadow shouted.

"O-one billion…!?" Makoto's heart sunk, dropping into a icy black pool of despair. Not only was the individual in front of her suicidal, but completely insane. She watched Kaneshiro's face morph into something absolutely inhuman at the man's rash display, enjoying every moment of his inevitable demise. However, there was no movement to be observed from the man, not even a shift in his stance, as if he had turned himself into an unmoving statue. Then she began to feel a mild static charge in the air, easily lifting up the back of her hair, harsh winds started to pick up all around her and the once clear palace skies started to be smothered over with a thick layer of dark ominous black. Mild tremors could be felt all around the area accompanied by what seemed like the echoing of thousand ancient drums roared across the darkened heavens.

"W-what the?!" She watched the purple Kaneshiro start to raise in panic, the monsters behind him began to shift around in both fear and confusion. As if commended by Zeus himself, a white waterfall of deadly electricity streamed down and crashed into the horde, sending a wave of dreadful cacophony that made their bodies convulse and dance to the sickly thunder. It ate away at their flesh, burned away at their souls and snuffed out their fragile existence in a matter of seconds, leaving only traces of charred ash and dented pavement.

An entire wave of shadows disappeared almost instantly, then another, then another as the man slowly approached the palace ruler, walking in a drawn out drunken stroll, blasting anything that managed to stand in his path.

King lazily faced the now quaking palace ruler, glaring empty into shaking yellow eyes. Loud booms of thunder and cracks of electricity largely obscured the background, giving the grey haired man a freighting dark silhouette.

"P-Please….I'll g-give anything!" For whatever reason, almost akin to a sixth sense, Kaneshiro backed away out of what can only be defined as a primal fear. It wasn't simply as a life ending threat, nor a loss of status in the criminal world. No, it felt much more ancient, back to the hay days of humanity, a deep rooted fear that lives in all: predator and prey.

"Give?" The empty man leaned in close, their bodies practically touching, "I'm here to pay."

"P-Pay?! The debt!? Ah yes! The debt has been called off-" The shadow felt a sharp tug on his collar that caught off his air.

"One…"

The shadow struggled and begged.

"Billion…"

The shadow saw sparks of white gather all around him.

"VOLTS!" The ground started to fizzle and break out of view, replaced by a blinding white that enshrouded the whole palace. Trees were uprooted and disintegrated into thin air, buildings crumbled away like chunks of stale bread, and any last remaining shadows were sent into a merciless electric hell of never ending pain. A mad raging pillar of lighting and thunder of colossal proportions shot forth into the heavens from the deepest depths of hell, extending more than one thousand feet into the sky and earth, ravaging the city below and splitting the heavens into two.

"I'll teach you to threaten my friends!" King kicked and tossed the fried Kaneshiro into pile of melted walls and wrapped pavement. The attack was so destructive that it created miniature distortions around the Metaverse.

"Gak!" Kaneshiro spat a chunk of ichor.

"You can call me a dog…" King growled, dragging his blade on the ground, "You can threaten my life!" he broke into the ground with one stomp, "You can even strap away all I have!" He pointed the sword at the mafia boss.

"EKK!"

"But if you ever so touch those kids again…." He lowered his voice to an inaudible whisper, just between the two, "I will personally tear you limb from limb…"

"I-I promise to call off the m-money! And never see them again!" Kaneshiro crawled to his knees, both hands outstretched, graveling for forgiveness, not unlike his prior victims.

"Next time we come, you better hand that treasure over on a silver plate," King glared daggers, "And if you trick me…"

"Y-Yes sir!"

"There will be more than just hell to pay…"

* * *

"Is everyone alright?" Akira asked in concern, turning to each and everyone one of the members present, they all stood in a small circle, equally exhausted with paling faces.

"Yea...I'm alright." Makoto adjusted her headband, the last few hours had been the most fearful and tiring of her life. Memories of the events prior flooded and occupied her mind in an endless bombardment of never ending sensation of astonishment. From what the talking cat in the group explained as her persona awakening, to the frightening display put on by one of their eldest members. Recalling back to the experience and to the faces of the pleading shadows, she could feel a cold sweat roll down her entire body.

"But holy crap that was wild!" She saw Ryuji blurt out, oblivious of the destruction and suffering their friend had just caused. Stars could be seen lit up from the boy's eyes.

"Don't push yourself too hard ok? You always go too far." Ann gave a more worried gesture at the man, failing to comment on his brutality.

"Kaneshiro seems have been put in his place." Yusuke said, thinking to the purple man and his threats.

"That's one palace ruler down. Good on those intimidation tactics Yu. Although, I still wouldn't trust Kaneshiro to hand the treasure over that easily," Morgana meowed from for his bag.

"Do you guys...always do this to the palace shadows?" Makoto questioned, somewhat hesitant. It was true that she shouldn't have any sympathy for someone as despicable as Kaneshiro, yet she couldn't help find the group's actions to be...a little excessive.

"Not always. Normally we would sneak around and avoid as much confrontation as possible." Souji lied, or rather spoke a half truth. He knew the student council president had not taken to their actions well. If the he wanted to keep his group in the shadows, then convincing her would be his only option.

"You saw how Kaneshiro pushed us Niijima. Yu is usually our last resort when a life threatening emergency happens." Akira stepped in to help fuel the half-truth, realizing his head was on the line.

"Life threatening…" The others didn't realize it, but the brunette had taken those heavy words to heart. Her face gradually shifted from a calm neutral to a guilt laced frown. "I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble…if it weren't for my actions" She was too embarrassed to even keep eye contact.

"No, it really isn't your fault Niijima," Ann placed a hand on the girl' shoulder, a soft looking glint in her eyes.

"Your frustrations at the time were understandable." Yusuke was next to speak up.

"And you saved me from those shadows. I should really thank you for that." Akira gave her a gentle smile. "I should be apologizing for not being a downed leader when you all needed me most."

"It's alright man. It happens to the best of us…" Ryuji reasoned, it was impossible to predict what would happen in battles after all.

"Don't you have something to say too Yu?" Ann shot a glare back at the veteran, a fierce fire in her eyes. The man swore she could have casted an Agi in her mind, barely missing his head.

"Y-yea!" Souji jumped back, having a sheepish expression, "I'm sorry for pushing you back there, Niijima!" Giving a small bow, he could feel the Shujin blonde eye's burning into his skull.

"W-what..?" To say Makoto was stunned by the sudden change in the man's behavior was an understatement, because he seemed like a monster himself just hours ago.

"You're hopeless…" The blue eyed girl gave a short sigh.

"How are you…?" Makoto looked at the other puzzled.

"He may not look like it, but he's a big dork," Ann gave a friendly smile, "It's the reason he stuck with us for so long!"

"Speaking of which, how did Narukami join the Phantom Thieves? I apologize if I'm intruding. He was the only one that didn't to have a connection to the group." Narukami had been the only person the brunette had failed to gather intel and if Kaneshiro's words also rang true, then neither did he.

"That's...more of a team secret…" Unlike the cheerful hospitality from before, the atmosphere soon shifted to a thin, yet very palpable tension in the air as Ann tried to gasp for an answer.

"Oh, I must have forgotten to mention, but I've decided to join the Phantom Thieves," Makoto closed her eyes in a triumphant smile. The feelings of her awakening and finally being able to break free from her societal duties had truly changed her perspective. She wanted to experience that same overwhelming wave of liberation and excitement once again. However, there was another reason.

"Seriously Prez?!" Ryuji almost fell over in disbelief. Did they seriously win over the head of the student of council?

"Yep. After careful consideration and seeing how you guys aim to deal with Kaneshiro, I think I have decided that the Phantom Thieves are just." The brunette concluded.

"Does that mean we are clear of Shujin's investigation into the Phantom Thieves?" Yusuke couldn't help but how the girl would resolve the situation.

"I will cease my involvement the case and muddle the school's intel. We won't be implicated in their inquiries—least not on my watch."

"Even with that out of the way, we still have to be on our guard. If we take down someone as dangerous as Kaneshiro, the police might be next." Souji inserted himself into the conversation. He could practically feel the brunette's cautious eyes boring into his figure.

"Yes. It would be an inconvenience if an official investigation were to occur. We should all keep a low profile for now." Makoto's felt piercing grey orbs stab right back at her.

"Low profile it is." Souji smiled, nonchalantly agreeing with the idea.

She would have to keep an eye out for did man for now on…

* * *

"Kaneshiro!" King jammed his blade into the ground, sending a rough vibration throughout the entire palace. His teammates all stood beside him in front of the large floating bank. The area seemed largely still, and devoid of any life.

"Show yourself you rotten coward!" The grey haired veteran roared again, denting the ground this time around, his voice growing increasingly irate as he continued to shout at the stagnant air. Finally, having had enough of the stubborn silence, the man raised a hand in the air, forming a wild stream of lighting that shattered every last glass panel in the building.

"Y-Yes sir!" Before King could deliver another strike, a shrill and frightened voice peaked itself out from the clashes of roaring thunder. "T-this is what you wanted right?!" From nowhere, appeared a petrified purple man with sulking yellow eyes. He was kneeling on the ground while a horde of shadows carried out a mountain stash of glistening golden, offering the pile to the group.

"Holy crap, is this all of his treasure!?" Skull said excited and amazed at the unreal size bricks of gold that were being passed around by the shadows.

"Treasure!" Morgana felt his little paws start to move on their own, the little cat jumped up and down at the sight of the many sparkling pieces of yellow.

"Can we trust him?" Makoto narrowed her eyes, even with the intimidation and fear, she couldn't help but be skeptical.

"You better not have hid anything more in that disgusting bank of yours." King glared daggers at Kaneshiro, reminding the purple man of his previous beatings, it was filled with vision of cold hellfire.

"No! Y-You have to trust me! I didn't leave anything out! This is all I have!" The bank owner begged, averting his gaze in an attempt to not anger the demon before him anymore.

"You better uphold your word!" Fox had no sympathy for the graveling shadow.

"Now go back and think about what you did to all those people!" Panther smacked her wipe on the ground.

"I-I will! I was wrong! I was a horrible person!" Kaneshiro yelled, shouted at the team in freight.

"Good, now let's get out of this ugly place." King gave the quivering man one last glance before turning his back, ready to leave the Metaverse.

"W-wait!"

"What?" The grey haired man shot back, making the shadow jump.

"Wh-why are you doing this? T-the palaces! They can be used for so much more! You guys literally have the powers to mess to with people's hearts! You can do anything!" As counterproductive as it may to have blurted out such words, the shadow knew this very well could result in his death, yet he was too curious of the team's answer. Anyone men, no, any men of sane mind would have let their hearts be devoured by this incredible opportunity for unimaginable wealth and power.

"Is that what you really think?" Joker gave a scornful look. This man had truly fallen into the deepest depths of twisted desires.

"How can you find m-meaning in this justice?! When fame, fortune and-!

"Look you selfish jackass! We ain't like you!" Skull pointed his weapon threateningly at Kaneshiro, " Just because we got powers doesn't give us the right to shit on everybody else like you do!" The skull masked boy could feel a thousand different emotions begin to clutter his mind, scenes of past abuse from Kamoshida temporary obscuring his vision, always reminding him of the dangers of becoming a power hungry tyrant.

"Really? Even when there's already someone out there taking full advantage of this power...?" The shadow mellowed at the reply, somewhat going back to his previous apathetic composure, one again it looked as if he had gotten the upper hand, albeit only for a small piece of information.

"Another persona user?" Joker said in curiosity.

* * *

"A criminal in the palaces. What do you suppose this means?" Yusuke sat on top the musty attic bench, a hand to his chin in a contemplating motion.

"It's obvious someone's been misusing the Metaverse." Morgana meowed, directing his attention to everyone in the room amidst the chilling air. "Kaneshiro did say they were using it to accomplish anything they so desired."

"Do you think it might be connected to that black mask? You guys remember right? The one mentioned by Madarame?" Ann sprung up from her seat, connecting the ominous warning of the two palace masters. The mood in the room soon developed from a warm gathering friends into a cool, mellowing discussion.

"So the black mask and this individual mentioned by Kaneshiro might be the same person?" Makoto asked, "From what I've gathered, they also seem to be a very powerful and cunning individual. It may be a clue to who is causing those psychotic breaks and mental shutdowns as well."

"Yo, are you'll sayin' there might be someone just as crazy as bro out there?" Ryuji shivered at the idea of taking on someone as insane as their elder, even now their power levels were gapped by an astronomical difference.

"We can't deny that possibility now can we?" Akira laid in bed, gazing at the ceiling in deep thought, "As much as I want to think to deny a criminal like that exists it really is possible." And he may have even met them. Remembering back to the hooded figure that dragged him into an alley, it was a prime possibility.

"Eh, we can take them on." suddenly, among the serious words and solemn exchange, a nonchalant voice pierced through the conversation.

"W-what? Yu!" Ann raised an eyebrow at the older men, how could the veteran be so casual about a discussion of life and death.

"Aren't you being too overconfident?" Makoto was next to object. If it take the Phantom Thieves a whole team to even infiltrate a palace, this black masked individual could be easily worth the manpower of all of them combined.

"Pft! Yu's right, we can destroy them." Akira was next to join the idiot parade going around the attic, doing a complete one-eighty from his prior serious demeanor.

"Are you both out of your minds?" Yusuke watched in awe at their stupidity, but at the same time, couldn't help but admire their fearless confidence.

"Nope, I'm saying that criminal will be the cowering when we accidentally run into them." Akira said, crossing his arms behind his head, half serious, half smirk.

"Yep, and then we throw them on the steps of lady justice, right front of the court house." Souji stuffed a handful of marshmallows into his mouth.

"Something tells me you two aren't being serious." Ann snatched away the bag of marshmallows from the veteran and Makoto aimed to drag Akira out of bed.

"Anyway," Ann began, tossing the bag to Morgana, "Have you decided on a code name Makoto? Let's move onto something that won't give us a headache."

"Yes...although it may be a bit awkward to say…" The brunette resisted giving any more information, in fear of embarrassment. She was originally planning to reveal the name during their second palace visit to avoid unnecessary conversation. However, that plan was cut swiftly short, thanks to Yu's intervention.

"Come on it can't be that bad." Ryuji shrugged in his chair, subtly encouraging the brunette.

"Well…" The council president played with her hair.

"Better than anything Ryuji can come up with." Morgana teased, earning an annoyed shout from the rowdy blonde.

"We won't judge you Makoto." Akira insisted, lying down on his bed again, one hand lazily waving in the air.

Makoto felt several pairs of eyes directing their attention to her figure, everyone eagerly for an answer. She sighed, inhaling a deep breath.

"Queen."

"Q-Queen?!" Akira instantly shot up akin to a speeding bullet, faster than any attacking shadow. Sitting straight up, he eyed the brunette in disbelief, almost choking on his own words.

"Forreal?!" Ryuji nearly toppled out of his chair, springing forward and forcefully pulling himself backwards again to prevent a painful faceplant.

"A-are you sure about this Makoto?" Ann was finding it hard to articulate words, a foreign sensation which she could not fully word came rushing into her being. It resembled a foul mixture between jealousy and frustration.

The council president gave a sigh, "I knew this would happen," She shifted her attention to Yu, who was watching the whole mess unfold, "In case anyone was wondering, this has nothing to do with him."

"I feel attacked somehow." Souji said sheepishly.

"Is there a reason why you chose a name so close to King though?" Morgana couldn't but ask, sounding half uncomfortable.

"It fits doesn't it?" Akira finally relaxed himself, feeling relieved of the misunderstanding, "She's the school's student president and clearly has the mind to be our team strategist." He failed to mention her more… bossier side.

"R-really?" Makoto's skin flushed a soft shade of pink.

"You held your own against Kaneshiro's shadows despite just awakening all alone and saved my ass. I think you deserved that title Makoto." Akira reasoned, making sure it had nothing to do with another group member called King.

"It's true that you were quite fearless," Yusuke added, "I agree with Akira that name suits you well."

"So it's settled then?" Morgana meowed, looking for any objections, "For now on we'll have both a King and a Queen on our team."

"Wait! I object!" Akira tossed his arm into the air at the last moment.

"Huh? Akira, weren't you the one—" the brunette was cut off. She then saw him point to the grey haired man.

"Mona! Can I swap names with this old man so I can be King instead?!" The raven haired boy said bluntly, arching his mouth into a large childish frown.

"W-waht?!" Ann said taken aback. Deep down, she too wished to swap names, if she could be closer to King.

"No Mona, I refuse. Joker doesn't fit me." Souji crossed his arms, pouting and huffing, offended at his friend's dumb suggestion.

"Fine, then your new code name can be Knight!" Akira slammed his fists onto the dining table.

"And yours can be Jester, you know, like the joke you are," Souji eyed the boy with a manic grin, "Now jest for your King!"

"Huh?! What did you say you stupid old knight?" the younger wild card gave an equally sadistic smile.

"Mona, can you pass over the bag of marshmallows." Ann clutched her head with a mini migraine, watching the two males trying to out wrestle each other, an aura of darkness quickly enveloping the two in a field of pure demonic energy.

"Pft."

"Hm?" Ann heard a snicker, turning to Makoto who looked like was holding in a slight laughter. "Makoto?"

"Hehe…" The brunette gave a light chuckle. "Yes Ann?"

"Never mind, it just looked like you were having fun." The blonde said, not messing the girl losing her usual strict composure.

"Do these two fight like this often…?" The brunette's face formed into an amused smile, watching the playful chaos unfold in front of her. If this had been any other fight involving a student, then her being the council president would have quickly intervened, however, today, she couldn't help but enjoy the idiocy on display.

"You suck at this you lowly jester!" Souji shouted, pushing Akira with his fists, yet the other tried to hold his ground, digging his feet into the ground. The man's smile just grew wider and wider at his inevitable win.

"Ha! You clearly underestimate my power old man," The younger wild card glared back, equally enjoying their little squabble, "Out with the old! In with the new!" Akira said before releasing his body weight from the deadlock between the two, causing Souji's entire being to fall forwards. The man tried to regain his footing, yet it was too late as Akira charged forward and slammed him to the ground. "I will win you dirty old knight!"

"Hahaahha, I really didn't expect that one!" Souji, despite being tackled down, held no resentment towards the boy and howled in laughter at the trickster's cheap tricks. He felt his muscles relax and his mind finally de-clutter of his stressful worries. For in this moment, he gave a real smile, and formed a real friendship.

This was his second life.

* * *

"Trickster…."

Akira could hear a faint whisper in the darkness; his vision was obscured by a heavy azure fog, shifting in and out of view.

He shifted around, only to feel trapped in his own body.

"Trickster…" The voice came once again, only to taper off into the void. It was getting more and more audible as time slowly trickled by.

"Wake up inmate!" Akira's eyes jolted awake at the sharp clapping of metal, his ears ringing from the distant noise. The boy felt around his black ominous prison, noticing a thin mattress beneath his skin and cold concrete walls above his head. Alarmed and confused, he got up to inspect himself, once again noticing his sleepwear had transformed into a familiar, tattered, prison uniform. His breath started to quicken and his heart begin to race as he realized where he was. Hesitantly, he peered through the heavy steel bars.

"You have kept me waiting Trickster…." The entity known as Igor growled, his white, bulging pupils were covered in large pulsing veins of red. His barrows farrowed and its skin creased into what could be only described as an ugly expression of livid rage.

"Look at what you've done inmate! How dare you anger our master like that!" Caroline once smacked her baton onto the bars of the cell, producing so much force that it sent the boy aback.

"Please explain yourself inmate." Justine glared.

"You seem to have abandoned your rehabilitation quite fervently Trickster. Is there a reason why you have so fearfully avoided my velvet room?" Unlike their meetings before, Igor did not hesitate to cut to the point. In fact, the entity was eagerly waiting for an equally blunt answer, as straightforward as his own.

"I-Like I said before! I'm only trying to train up the personas I have-" Akira stubbornly held onto the bars of the cell, hiding his fear. Cold sweat rolled down in streams on his back and face.

"That is a lie!" Igor bellowed, his voice being low and demonic. His words resonated throughout the prison chamber, causing the blood in the boy's veins to turn to ice. "I ask once again Trickster, why are you trying to deceive me?"

"..." The wild card was at a loss for words, a lump had risen in his throat, preventing him from any speech.

"Say something inmate!" Caroline throw another powerful gust at the Wild Card, but he remained silent.

"Perhaps there is some other explanation," Igor began again, "Perhaps there is another, a tyrant, preventing your rehabilitation. A vile villain indeed." The long nosed entity watched the boy pale, his heart drop and his body slump to the ground.

"It is that the strange man that follows you around intimate?" Akira sat on the ground motionless.

"Did that fiend seriously speak ill of our master?!" Caroline demanded, now glaring death at the boy.

"I suggest you comply with your tasks Trickster, for the tyrant speaks only in lies and obscures the truth." Igor warned, waving a gloved hand in the air, a colossal guillotine with a bloodied blade appearing behind him. And within its metallic clutches, a figure wrapped in a black burlap sack. It looked wrong, oh so very wrong. The shape was tall and bulky, resembling humanoid more than it did shadow.

"W-what are you doing..?" Akira felt his limbs turn to jelly, his hands unable to move and his legs unable to stand.

"The false king shall be executed for his arrogance," With that, the entity snapped his fingers, bringing down the large blade in a swift supernatural motion.

"What the hell do you think you're doing you bastard?!" Yet, despite the boy's weakness and horror, he slammed his body against the blackened bars and shook at unbreakable door, yet it was too late. The blade had already come down and splashed the entire blue room full of….black.

"Do not worry Trickster. For that was only a mere demonstration of my power," Igor's grin returned, Akira once again sunk to the ground, his heart nearly bursting out of his chest, gasping for breaths in the cold, stagnant air.

"What is wrong with...you?" The trapped Wild Card bared his teething seething anger. However, Igor ignored his despairing cries.

"However, if you do not heed my advice and neglect your rehabilitation…" The entity paused, making an ominous silence, its blank pupils bearing into Akira's, "This bag will be full of more crimson than black."

Slowly watching the entity raising his a hand and snapping away the large contraption, Akira's vision started to fade in and out of existence. He felt his whole body disobey his every command, trembling in the cold velvet cell. Then, he could make out a shape of a small clipped binder, and several of his own personas being putted of his very soul.

Ah yes, it was time for a forced fusion, whether he liked it or not.

* * *

Akira awoke the next morning, drenched in a pool of sweat. Putting a hand to his chest, he could feel countless new personas, stirring and squirming in depths of his troubled soul. Hurrying down the short flight of stairs and into the small enclosed restroom, he turned on the facet and splashed his face in cold water. Stopping to view himself in the mirror he found a noticeable paleness in skin and blackened circles lining his sheened and tired skin.

"Hey kid. You okay…?" Came a knock at the door, Sojiro faced the outside of the door in concern.

"Yea...yea...fine…" The boy mumbled groggily, brushing a mob of messy hair from his eyes. Taking a moment force a deep breath down his throat, he nodded again, "I'm fine… I'm fine…"

* * *

 **Well… you certainly didn't waste time ending the palace. Eh, we didn't have much to do anyway. If we stayed on it, we'd basically be writing filler.**

 **Also, Wes…. Bwaahahahahahhahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA! YOU ACTUALLY DID IT! HAHAHAHAHHA! I was fucking kidding! I didn't think you'd actually write in—BWAHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yep, I'm also aware that none of you have any idea wtf I'm talking about… and I laughing at that too. Happy Easter everybody, now pardon me while I watch Game of Thrones.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Guest: Don't look at/ask me. I don't even know what happens until you do.**

 **Ichinaruko: Please elaborate if you can.**

 **Guest: The day accept this into my heart is the day I recreate that para-brother dance from DBGT… and you can't get me drunk or high enough for that. Also, Wes, am I the only one who HASN'T seen Jojo? Am I the odd one?**

 **Alexaxegx: He has an apartment. As for his job… uh… Wes, i'm handing that answer to you. It won't be a complete re-trend of P5 with Yu in it, rest assured.**

 **Blahblahblech: Combine traumatized with a hint of paranoia, and then you might be able to argue.**

 **KingLuxion: His Wild Card is mediocre… I mean, he has a lot of hit points in the game, but his attacks?**

 **Minus Megidolaon and the one unique attack, everything he has is underwhelming. Other than that, only a few mid-tier Agi-spells? Someone who's been solo-ing palaces since he was, what, 15-ish? Lore wise maybe? But game wise no.**

 **Fatman iz ded: I have no idea! It wasn't my idea to add him!**

 _ **Guest: I can't say anything as of now. This is more of a slow burn fic. But the p5 plot will go eventually.**_

 _ **Ichinaruko: Reword that.**_

 _ **Guest: Thanks, I had the picture of his plan for months in my head and I was super excited to finally get that out of my head. I'll show you a pic of them as a married couple I'm working on next chapter.**_

 _ **Alexaxegx: he mugs people! Yeeeee just imagine him going up and bitch slapping a poor sap. Quite a pickpocket artist too. Did you know that he loves Chinese food? We're going to throw that plot out the window, don't worry. The glass will shatter and rain down from the heavens and a make a beautiful ending.**_

 _ **Blahblahblech: What Grim said. Although I've made way too many drawings making fun of his trauma that taking him seriously is very hard.**_

 _ **KingLuxion: Goro will get his moment to shine with his Wild Card. I'm not going to say more but...a Yu vs Vanilla p5 Akira would be interesting.**_

 _ **Fatman Iz ded: oh, there's a concept art I have for minato already**_

 _ **For those asking for Minato? Here's his concept art so far: sta . sh/0133mhp7w4uo**_

* * *

A wisp of ghostly smoke waved through the air, slowly spreading into an ethereal web, forming delicate strings of grey that spread through the abyss. It was only seconds before the miniature nimbus had appeared and dispersed into the murky darkness, leaving no trace of its fleeting presence behind.

Particles of black begin to settle and crumble into an indiscernible mass, floating into a whirlwind of loose ichor that soon dispersed itself into the atmosphere, with each tiny fragment being consumed by the mighty torrent of the wind, fading away, not unlike the frail existence of the smoke from before.

Yet, just as everything seemed to vanish, a dark pair of eyes remained, lingering in the emptiness, gazing at the spot where its target had laid moments ago. In his left hand, rose a barrel of a smoking gun and his right, a dripping black saber.

* * *

Akechi awoke from a bitter dream; his eyes slowly registering his dimly lit surroundings, causing the boy to lazily shift around in bed. His hands shifted back and forth in attempt to reach his phone nestled between his sheets, however, he soon noticed the odd texture of his mattress. What was once the soft and comforting warmth of his bed had now transformed into a cold rough surface, supporting where he lay.

"What…?" The boy mumbled to himself, clenching his head in a shallow state of confusion before motioning himself off the floor. After a moment of grog-filled contemplation, he noticed himself still in his school uniform and standing in what appeared to be the dark of his living room; the blinds covered and only miniature streams of light barely lit up his walls in uneven patches of soft light. Upon fishing his smartphone from under his messy table, he finally realized what had happened to make him wake in such an odd setting. The time read an early five in the morning and he had collapsed onto his couch the night before from exhaustion, and his body had somehow rolled to the floor without his knowledge.

Akechi gave a long, drawn out sigh that lasted for a while before prepping for his morning. Despite his light sleep and troubled dreams, he had to prepare for another day, slugging into his washroom to clean and groom himself. Once again, as he approached the white marble sink he saw his own face gazing back him, and each time he did, it would line with an array of bitter expressions. Without having anyone else to truly socialize with over the years, the boy had often found himself taking comforting in his own thoughts and emotions. And each time he came to the mirror, he would finally lay his raw emotions bare in an attempt to finally express himself to 'someone' he knew who would fully understand his grievances. Whether it be the infuriating demands made by his co-workers, or another outrageous job by his father, he always found the boy in the mirror to share in his silent anguish. At times, he would mumble to himself and at times, his reflection would respond back in encouragement or simple agreement at his woes; it was the only time he could be fully honest, as the mirror boy was his one and only companion that truly accepted this miserable being, known as Goro Akechi.

However, just as soon as his self-reflection had started, it had concluded just as quickly as Akechi readied himself for the real world.

* * *

"Hello? Miss Margaret?" a shy brunette stepped into the tranquil hospital room, the soft sun beaming down from the open window, creating a fresh warm glow that engulfed the entire space.

"Ah, Akechi. You're back." The women in the room responded, turning her attention to the new arrival in the room.

"I have come as per usual Miss Margaret." Akechi said with a beaming smile, dropping his suitcase and other belongings into the room.

"Pardon my inquiry but, should you not be in school at this hour?" The blonde asked in curiosity, for this was not their usual meeting time of the day. The brunette still seemed about high school age and was probably still enrolled in his academic pursuits as a youth his age should be.

"You would be right on a normal day Miss," Akechi explained himself, "However, I was tasked to provide some crucial assistance at the police station today. So, I'm more so excused from my attendance."

The women tilted her head giving the boy another questioning look before he spoke up again. His excuse still doesn't lead to as to why he was here in the hospital.

"Please don't get the wrong idea. I've already completed all that the police has asked of me for the day. Akechi tried to assure the other, "This visit is merely an extension of the police work I have been assigned."

"I see," a small amused smile had made its way to the women's face, "I did not take you for the type to be absent for your academic pursuits Akechi."

"O-oh? Why do you say that Miss Margaret?" For a split second, the women could almost hear a small stutter in the brunette's voice, as well as a micro change in his expression, yet she could not make out what was being conveyed, as it ranged from surprised, shocked, annoyed, or even maybe anger.

"Akechi, you chose to avoid your school in favor of this conversation yes? By saying this is tied to your profession, is it not only an excuse to prolong your exemption of attendance?" Margaret deduced, quickly seeing the boy's bright smile shift to a more unsure neutral.

"Is that so?" Akechi said, his voice dropping from his normal cheery tone, "Then do you suppose I'm a bad student for not being as studious with my studies?" Unlike the faux words and fake act from before, there was a tinge of genuine curiosity in his words. Akechi had always put a front of perfection around him: school attendance, grades, appearance and so on were all required for him to be viewed as an almost flawless figure in society's eyes. And as a result, he had gained hordes of adoring fans and many others all pinning for his individual attention. And the young man knew if he made even the slightest mistakes, he would cease that life of fame altogether. Yet here, he was about to let loose his mask that he had held on for so long, but for what reason he did not know. Akechi gulped on the inside, anticipating the worst for his slip up, not unlike a guilty child who knew they had done something they were not supposed to.

"No, in fact, I would agree to the opposite."

"H-huh?" The reply came to bewilder the boy. Genuine feelings of confusion began to cloud his mind.

"From the last time we conversed, I was not entirely jest-full with my words. You do often appear overworked, do you not?" Margaret continued, observing the subtle changes on the brunette's face, "You deserve a break for all your time Akechi. Sometimes, it is better to take a break for the sake of one's own wellbeing, even if it means foregoing one's duties".

Akechi had a hard time forming a coherent reply. Deep down, despite the simplicity of the women's concern, had the boy absolutely perplexed. Foreign sensations he had never experienced before came bubbling up from his conscious and he wasn't sure how exactly to rationalization them all. He watched the women in a blank, thousand yard stare, unsure if she was toying with him and unable to determine the truthiness of her words.

However, it was not only the brunette that was taken aback by those words, as Margaret herself was equally surprised. If one were to turn back time, then they would have known the Velvet assistant known as Margaret, from years ago, would have never uttered such foolish words. Years ago, such tomfoolery would have only likely came from her sister, but the never older. Yet now, after leaving that blue room, it had given the women much more time to think for herself then she would have liked, leaving her to fall prey to her own mind. If she had been more open with that young man, then maybe, maybe things wouldn't have turned for the worst. Maybe she should have been more similar to her sister ways of dealing with guests. Maybe it was her own professionalism that had-

"Miss Margaret?...Miss Margaret?"

"Y-yes?" Upon hearing a distant voice call her name, she snapped out of her self induced trance, an unreadable expression had made its way onto her face.

"Are you alright Miss Margaret?" Akechi frowned in concern, finally getting the women's attention.

"I'am, thank you Akechi," The boy didn't look convinced, "I was only feeling a faint headache, that is all." Margaret put a light hand to her head, imitating an act of having a small migraine.

"Really now…?" The brunette uttered out almost involuntary. It nagged at him that this woman was hiding something, as her expression of her trance had been much too similar to his own. His frequent trips to the mirror had taught him the many signs of anguish, despair, annoyance and so on that would all be faintly plastered on one's face.

"Hm? Do you not believe me?" The women asked, less offended than curious.

"Nope, not one bit."

"Why so?" She didn't even budge.

"Well, I would have if you hadn't made two important mistakes Miss Margaret." Akechi grabbed his police notebook, "One, as a detective, I've seen better liars after that emotional trance. And two, you said something quite vital during my last leave, preferably after I had relieved myself of my police duties." He tossed the small book to the other side, "As much as I lack concrete evidence, I sincerely believe you were, and currently are faking your amnesia. Am I wrong to assume that?" He questioned quite brashly, unlike his usual charming self, loosening his mask.

They both waited in choking silence at the accusation, and then it happened.

Akechi saw a small smile slowly form onto the women's face. In his mind, he had half expected a face of horror, or fear, but those negative emotions never washed over her perfectly sincere visage.

"Yes, yes I have. Good job Akechi, you have caught me in my deception." Margaret gave tiny chuckle, it sounded as if she was really enjoying the moment. She could practically spot the childish glint in the others eyes for being spot on and congratulated for his efforts.

"So why did you do it? I don't suspect you of being the type to mess with random police detectives." Akechi said, amused yet spiteful.

"I assume this will be omitted from the records?" The women beamed with a smirk, turning to the dusty police notebook in the corner.

"Why yes. I am afraid today will be another uneventful session with unsatisfactory results, because for now I'm merely Goro Akechi, high school student and upstanding civilian. Whatever I hear from now on will be through the ears of a regular school boy." Akechi instantly felt a burden lift from his shoulders as he declared himself relieved of his police duties for the day, causing his entire body to relax. There was no pressure here. No one rabid fans to shower him in fake adoration, no reporters to his tarnish reputation, and no one to put a label to his many imperfections.

"May, that was quite a daring declaration. You truly are bold." Margaret watched as layers upon of layers of masks that the boy had built up from the years slowly begin to crack and unravel, into something he could perhaps call, a part of himself. For the women did not know what lay at the center.

"Am I? I'd like to think myself as more refined than most," Akechi said nonchalantly, but then shifted to a more serious tone, "So with police status out of the way, would you care to tell me more about this grey haired individual you spoke of last time?"

"Pardon my rudeness, but I cannot reveal much about that particular person…" Unlike the light cheer from before, the women's face darkened.

"I'm sorry if I bring up any painful memories Miss. However, can you at least tell me if this person is dangerous? It would be problematic if he started targeting civilians." Although the boy had left his police duties aside, he couldn't help himself from being consumed by his normal train of thought. Even as a faux detective had him asking countless such structured questions, yet he promised not to deliver any of this information to the police. However...it wasn't like the police was his only resource to deal with threats anyway.

"No. Thankfully I cannot see him harming just anyone but myself," Margaret lied yet again, "That was why I warned you Akechi. Associating with me may not be the wisest of decisions."

The blonde became more saddened, memories of the past flooded into her mind like a rough tidal wave, colliding with her already stressed emotions.

"Are they perhaps...someone close?" Akechi tried prying even more, curiosity gradually eating away at his at his mind. Upon hearing the question, the women nodded in silence, a tint of guilt had laced her once calm eyes.

"You could say...they were a student of sorts."

"So you were a teacher?" The women shook her head, leaving the boy to an endless guessing game that left him stumped. Just who was this mysterious blonde and where did she originate from? He know almost nothing about her, despite their vast police database. He even tried pulling from his father's shadier connections. However it yielded just as much from his research at the police department. The more Akechi wrecked his brain, the more frustrated he became. "Apart from these concrete possibilities, I suppose having a student can be almost anything." The brunette finally said in defeat.

"You look flustered."

"That I am Miss. I'm usually spot on with my deductions. It's a rare case that even I'm stumped." He gave a dramatic sigh, placing a hand to his temple like he was about to fall over-then he heard her giggle.

"Then how about this," the blonde said, halting the boy from his ongoing muse, "I will tell you more about myself if you take here." She pointed to a small pamphlet by the bed, its colorful print catching the brunette's eye.

"Here?" Akechi blanked twice, before making sure he heard the women right. "I suppose it will be popular among the populace, but is that a promise?"

"Be assured that I will fulfill my part of our deal." Margaret said kindly, reminded of the better times of the past, where a young man had spent time with her and completing her many requests.

"Very well Miss Margaret. It's a promise."

* * *

"Remember, the English language separates itself into three different but common tenses: past, present, and future, unlike Japanese. There are also a few additional variations such as passive and past passive. Don't forget to memorize and conjugate accordingly in your essays," Souji waved his hand over a large white board with neatly scribbled notes in colored marker, each hue assigned to a certain subject, "Losing a few points on grammar may not seem like much at first, but it can be a helpful difference between separating a satisfactory and excellent grade." The man finished, watching the students jaw down information on levels of complexity. Lingering his eyes on person to person he discovered some of them were more studious than others.

"Dammit, why does this gotta be so complicated? How am I supposed to memorize all these variations of the same freakin' word!? There's like a million of them!" Ryuji fumbled to catch up with the others, lost in in the sea academia, barely holding on as the strong currents and rough wind forced his mind to roll and tumble in its turmoil waters. Souji had spied on the blonde boy's notes, only to worry if he was going to pass, if not fail the exam entirely.

"Quit complaining and focus…" Makoto was next to speak up, unlike her rowdy friend, she had some of the most focused and detailed notes Souji had ever seen. In fact, it reminded him just a little of Yukiko. Back then, the two would always share their notes with the others.

"You will only slow down our pace." Yusuke chided, breaking out of deep concentration. His notebook resembled more of a piece of calligraphy art than actual writing for studies.

"You're all certainly serious today." Ann observed the crowd around her, if not half were mostly absorbed in their notebooks. Yu had somehow pressured everyone to focus, just as their session from before.

"Hey... hey," Morgana nudged the raven haired boy sitting next to him, but to no response. In fact, Akira appeared to be fully buried in his book. He was almost silent through the whole session, only answering laconically to a few simple yes or no replies.

"Is he alright?" Makoto watched the transfer lift up his head from his books, black eyes covered by a tangled mess of raven hair.

"Perhaps we should take a break from this study session. He doesn't look well." To Yusuke, Akira had always been the strange silent type, however, even as he came in to Leblanc the boy just felt...off.

"You ok man?" Ryuji turned to his friend, followed by the others, all eyes laced with a degree of concern and worry.

"Thanks guys, but really, it's no big deal," Akira felt the others burn their glares into him, especially Ann, "I think may have gotten a minor cold." For whatever reason, Souji felt as if the boy was avoiding eye contact altogether. And when they did, he was sure he the Wild Card wince.

"Akira, if that's the case then why didn't you tell us? We could have delayed the meeting if you told us" Morgana meowed, now that he recalled how Akira had behaved in the past few days, his movements were slower and sluggish than usual. The feline had only though the boy was tired and needed to recover from the palace.

"I rather not waste anyone's time. We set the date before after all," The transfer said, regaining some of his normal composure at being in the spotlight. "I'll go to the clinic later, I promise." He added half absentmindedly.

"Mona, make sure he does what he just said." Ann made the cat promise, being reminded of a certain someone who also pulled a similar excuse a while earlier.

"Here, get yourself hydrated," Souji handed a glass of water to the younger Wild Card, who thanked him and gulped down the contents before looking much better.

"Are you sure we shouldn't postpone the meeting for now? You really should get some rest." Makoto's eyes softened, feeling a tinge of guilt for putting the other through such a grueling study session, in such a tattered state.

Akira shook his head, "No Makoto, like I said, I'm up for it. I'd rather get something done now than wait till the last few days before finals."

"That is pretty reasonable," Ann mused out loud, "Cramming right before would be exhausting."

"Man... can we talk about after the exams instead? I really don't wanna think about it." Ryuji messaged in his temples, imitating someone who had just gotten a rough migraine. Looks of annoyed protest were about to make themselves clear before-

"Same, I want to do something relaxing after," Akira cut in, " I don't want this to turn into a poor 'me' pity party. I'm not even that sick." Akira forced the thought through his mouth, each word feeling a great chore to his tired mind. Yet, it was better than dwelling on that uncomfortable topic.

"See? Even Akira agrees with me. Plus, didn't we just take down that Kaneshiro guy? I say we have another celebration party." Ryuji cheered, quickly parting the gloom from the current atmosphere, letting in a small ray of sunshine.

"Anyone have anything in mind? Let's go someplace where everyone is welcome this time." Souji reminded the group to choose wisely, unlike their last run ins at the buffet.

"How about a museum visit?" Yusuke chimed in, "It would certainly be a relaxing experiencing"

"Nah, it'll just remind us of that palace." The rowdy blonde of the group shot down.

"An aquarium?" Makoto put a hand to her chin in a musing motion.

"Too far."

"Destinyland?" Souji mimicked the girl.

"Too expensive."

"A place that serves sushi!" Morgana meowed.

"Again, expensive…"

"Oh! I know! How about the fireworks? The fireworks festival is just around the corner!" Ann chirped, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"Too expen— wait! That's a actually a pretty sick idea!" Ryuji slammed his hands on the table, displacing all the notebooks and papers, causing a loud clap.

"Summer beauty is a rarity to behold, "Yusuke's face brightened, "I wouldn't mind drawing inspirations from the festivities."

"Sounds fun, I haven't been to one in a while." after countless years of constant paranoia and being on his feet, Souji never had time to stop and enjoy the simpler sides of life.

"Really? What were your previous ones like?" Makoto couldn't help but pry.

"I used to go to watch with my friends." The man replied in a joyous manner, similar to someone reminiscing about the past.

Although it wasn't clear if he was telling the truth or not, as if he had already forgotten himself.

* * *

Souji lingered behind, watching the others leave one by one. The sky had once again faded to a deep black, shrouding the outside in a thick, dark veil. There were only a few sources of light in the cramped alley, from the eerie glow of the public bathhouse, to the subtle yet warm light inside of Cafe Leblanc that pierced through the blackness like a guiding beacon in a stormy grey ocean.

"Hey, is there something wrong?" Souji looked toward the Akira, being only him and other in the empty cafe. Silent and bare, a sad contrast to the excitement and cheer from just hours before.

Akira sat down at one of the tables, before forcing himself to make eye contact with the veteran. "You could say I'm a little tired from all the palace hopping." The Wild Card placed a hand to his head.

"Is that all?" He felt a piercing glare shatter through what was left of his front and dive deep into his psyche. It didn't take long before the man had known he was speaking a lie. However, such feelings were never voiced.

"Y-yea…" Akira stuttered, before taking a deep breath, "It's been overwhelming" His voice cracked in the air, beads of sweat started to roll down his back; dark images of the blue room started to resurface from his troubled mind, and each time, he would see his friend in the place of that large sack, powerless and under the grim guillotine. His eyes frantically scrambled to identify any hint of disapproval or anger in the expression of the other, yet it remained to change.

"It's alright if you don't want to," Souji's shoulders slumped in a light sigh, "If it makes you uncomfortable then I won't push anymore." He paced himself to the door, pushing it ajar, inviting in the coolness of the summer night.

"Wait!" The young Wild Card turned to the men standing in the doorway, a pleading look in his eyes. "J-just give me some time. I'll...talk about it eventually." His face drooped, his jaw clenched, and his hand reached out as if to tell the other to stay. Akira wasn't sure what to say, or do anymore.

"Sure, whenever you want. Pick a time." The veteran gave a comforting smile before walking off into blackness, leaving Akira alone in the brightly lit cafe. It left the boy to slump down onto his seat again, to contemplate about his predicament.

The whole place felt eerily empty in the night.

* * *

"Excuse me, pardon me, please move to the side." A short haired brunette clumsy shoved his way through a large crowd. Trudging past hundreds of multiple colored yukatas that signaled the coming of summer, igniting the current excited frenzy from the stagnant city air. Hundreds upon thousands of people flooded the congested Tokyo streets, threatening to spill onto the equally packed roads of the sprawling metropolis.

"Which ones do you prefer? Strawberry danish? Or curry pan?" Ann pointed to a board menu decorated with an assortment of breads and other pastry items.

"I'm fine with either one. Whichever you want I guess." Souji said thoughtful, currently standing in a long line of people that wrapped around a popular cafe, consuming the entire building in a a large horde, not unlike a group of hungry shadows. The small group of six stood excitedly in the scolding Tokyo daylight, waiting for a long while after arriving in the heart of the city center.

"You two really are starting to sound like a couple." Ryuji yawned, unknowingly intruding upon the two's conversation.

"It is that true Ann? Are you and Yu an official couple-" Yusuke was about to voice his congratulations before they were promptly shut down by the blonde in question.

"W-what? No! R-right Yu?" The bubbly girl reddened and turned to the men, who only shrugged.

"Whichever you prefer." Souji beamed back with the brightest of smiles, which only angered the girl even more.

"Y-Yu!"

"N-no! Lady Ann?!" Morgana popped from his bag, a sinking feeling overtaking his small feline stomach.

"Guess you'll have to settle with someone else, Mona." Akira teased, causing the cat's eyes to bulge out of his skull. If the strange creature had possessed any tear ducts, then it would be unleashing a rushing river of water onto the ground.

"Guys...this really isn't helping our current situation." before anyone could comment anymore, Makoto gestured to several odd looks the group was receiving from passerby. It halted all further discussion on the topic.

"Thanks Makoto, clearly they dunno what they're talking about." The blonde eyed the others sharply before turning her attention back to the expanding line of people around the cafe. However, instead of enjoying the scenery of the crowd like before, she noticed a curious spot of brown peeking raising the sea of multicolored summer wear.

"Pardon me, please excuse me, passing through!" whoever the strange brunette was, he clumsy stumbled his way out of packed city center, speeding, shoving, and gingerly brushing away anyone who had landed in his planned path.

"Hey guys, don't you think that guy looks familiar?" Ann's eyes lingered on the youngman in the crowd, a questioning look begun to appear on her face.

"You're right. He features do appear somewhat recognizable." Yusuke rubbed his chin in contemplation, it's as if he had seen that face somewhere before. The features were partly obscured by a dark pair of glasses and the head covered in an equally dark baseball cap.

"Really? He doesn't look like to it" Ryuji shrugged as the semi familiar boy passed excused through another group of passerby, heading in their general direction.

"Please move aside!"

"It can't be can it…?" Makoto lifted an eyebrow in skepticism and disbelief, unable to trust her own mind.

"Something up Makoto?" Akira couldn't help ask, yet the answer never came, because just as the dark haired girl was about to answer, it happened.

"C-crap!" Suddenly, without warning, two capped cups of hot scalding coffee shot up into the air and headed straight for the pig-tailed blonde and the larger crowd of people behind her, as the unknown brunette lost his footing.

"Ann watch out!" Makoto shouted, springing forwards to shove the girl out of the way, only to watch someone else beside her move at impossible speeds towards the two deadly cups at the mercy of gravity's motion downwards.

Souji quickly moved himself in front of the blonde girl and leapt into the air, outstretching his arm in attempt to catch one of the air born cups and he barely managed to grip one with his palms, only for it to speedily plummet back towards earth. A few small drops of hot dark liquid splashed on his face as he tried for the second one with his free hand, struggling, however, just as he was about to reach the other, he felt another strong force collide with his own, with the impact managing to knock him off balance, followed by a foreign limb stretching pass him and pushing him in the opposite direction, causing the two bodies to lose control in the air.

"Yu!" The man heard someone shout but only barely as his world was now a blur, senses going at a million miles per second and gravity threatening to pull the two down in a painful landing and a hot mess on the ground. Without much thinking, Souji forcefully twisted with the other body in free space, trying to win back any possibility of a smooth transition to earth and he landed with a thud, slamming his lead leg onto the ground to get to a vertical base as quickly as he could, and just opposite of him, he caught a glimpse of his rival doing the same, catching a rough grip around his shoulder while Souji did the same, harshly, partly in an effort to not to crumble to the floor.

"You can let go now." Souji mumbled, eyeing the other, who shot back an equally stunned gaze through his dark lenses.

"Are you two alright?" Makoto stepped forward, both concern and frustration colored her face.

"Oh uhhh... sorry about that." The bespectacled brunette said shyly, taking back the two capped containers.

"Sorry? You almost-"

"Please! Let me explain myself." The boy turned to the others, removing his deep shades, "I apologize for what occurred earlier. I should have been watchful of where I was stepping."

"G-Goro Ake-!"

"Ryuji stop." Akira halted his rowdy friend from broadcasting the name to the entire city center.

"Thanks for that." The detective said which earned a nod from the other.

"Still, why are you dressed like that Akechi?" From Makoto could gather, the famed Goro Akechi had always tailored his appearance to be extremely flashy and recognizable, yet here he was the complete opposite.

"You mean this?" the brunette gestured to his outfit, "It's for today. A friend invited me out for the summer festival you see." He almost stumbled on his last few words, the strange concept of having a someone to spend time with had never crossed his mind.

"So you have your own close circle too huh?" Akira said from the back, silently observing the detective, as if scrutinizing his words for any false truths.

"Why? Can't people like me have private lives too?" Yet, instead of Akechi's vision lingering back on Akira as per usual, something else had caught his eye.

"He has a point. Famous or not, that doesn't exclude them from having personal lives." Souji could feel the detective's crimson orbs burn into his own, but he pretended not to notice. There was a tinge of caution laced in the boy's eyes.

"Thank you for understanding, Mr..?"

"Yu, Yu Narukami," Souji smiled, reaching out a hand, "And you're Goro Akechi that famous police detective yes? I hear about your work all the time."

"Of course, where are my manners? Yes, I'm as you say. However, I am merely the former for today as I'm off duty for the time being." The young man gave the outstretched hand a firm, yet rough shake, displaying a sign of high confidence.

Souji observed the two cups of coffee still in the detective's hands, eyeing one cup to other, "And it looks like you might be late at this rate too. They've cooled down significantly at this rate." Suddenly, at the reminder of his imminent tardiness, Akechi's eyes lit up in what could only be described as self-annoyance as he quickly excused himself from the scene.

"Ah, you may be right. Please excuse for now then Mr. Narukami," He then shifted his attention everyone, including Akira, "It was nice meeting you guys again. But I'm afraid I have take my leave for today." With a hurried step just as before, Souji watched the brunette quickly disappear and fade into the large sea of people.

"Looks like somebody was in a hurry." Ryuji frowned.

"Were you about to chew him out on what he said on TV?" Makoto gave a long sigh, earning a glare from the rowdy boy.

"Me too Ryuji, me too. Although don't you think there's more interesting we got to view about him today?" Akira smirked.

"Indeed. His movements were extremely peculiar." Yusuke replayed the moment over and over again in his mind. The way the detective had so effortlessly lifted himself into the air and displayed almost fluid levels of acrobatic movement, not to mention his mirrored landing that matched their eldest member's.

"To think he even matched Yu in terms of reaction as well," Makoto mused out loud, turning to the man in question, "Hey Yu. May I inquire into how long it took you to obtain such a high degree of freedom in your movements?"

"Years and years of practice. I was a bit surprised he matched me too. You don't see many people like that often." Souji said nonchalantly.

"So you're saying Akechi may have had similar experiences to Yu? The police do train their employees for self-defense and arrests." Ann pondered, scrambling her mind to find an answer that would fully solve the detective's graceful movements.

"No. I don't think what we just witnessed was just any simple form of self defense," Morgana popped out of his bag, "In fact, it looked like someone who had years of combat experience. Or at least movement skilled enough to match Yu's," The feline meowed serious, "We should be on our guard around that Akechi. I don't have a good feeling about him."

"Mona is correct. Despite how he is portrayed in the media, there could will be more layers to his character than we're lead to believe." Makoto concluded.

"Dude! Don't tell me he's some kinda shady assassin! Private life my ass- " Ryuji grumbled at the thought, in his head, it made sense.

"Don't be ridiculous, that stuff only happens in the movies." Ann chided

"Or he could secretly be hiding a talent in acrobatics that could rival-"

"Yusuke, I somewhat doubt that." Makoto was next to shut down another outrageous comment that rivaled the first in sheer ridiculousness.

"Akechi being an assassin?" Souji joked as he turned towards the general direction of the young detective. He could still barely feel his presence in the monochrome sea. "That would be an interesting plot twist wouldn't it?"

"Huh? What you mean?" Ann asked in curiosity.

The man's eyes narrowed, focusing on no one in particular.

"Wouldn't be poetic if that were the case?"

He said to the new Wild Card.

* * *

"Sorry I'm a bit late Miss Margaret!" Akechi approached a white parasol holding women, the large outstretched fan obscuring most of her face and covering her delicate features. The brunette breathlessly delivered the small cup into her hands. "The line at the shop was longer than I anticipated." He was breathless by the time he had finished.

The women smile, "It's quite alright Akechi. I should be apologizing for making you ran such an errand."

"No, no. It's alright." the boy adjusted his cap, "That shop is a staple of coming to Tokyo after all. Say, does that mean you're not from this area Miss? I'd always assumed you were from abroad."

She simply nodded, "Yes, you are correct in that I do not belong in this country. Being here has been a new experience for me." Margaret's face lit up in a soft grin, which was only highlighted even more by the dusk of the setting sun and the glistening water that reflected the many bright colors below them. Hues of red, pink and purple shone across the calm Tokyo docks. "And you have been helping me adjust Akechi."

"Then...do you miss your home country? Do you...miss home?" For one reason or another, for better or for worse, Akechi's curiosity had lead him to choose those last few words. A small void of emptiness had formed in his heart and he did not know why.

"Home…" The women seemed to mellow out, her eyes a droop, "I guess you could call that place my home…" She recalled her time spent in that cozy blue room, surrounded by siblings and master. Margaret herself had spent several human lifetimes dedicated to her sole calling, yet it was rare for her to remember times where she had truly called the place a home.

"That place?" Akechi mused to himself, not sure what to make of the women's strange remark.

"What about you Akechi? Do you converse with your family often?" The women wanted to compare her experiences with the boy. If only to know what humans experienced as 'family' was any different than her own.

"Yea...I spend time with them when I can." Despite his polished rephrased responses just for occasions such as this, Akechi harder and harder to speak them properly. He was about to go on with his uncomfortable answer before the women cut him off. He was thankful.

"Hm?" Margaret noticed a few small stains on her cup, along with a lit dent. "Did you fall Akechi?"

"Oh uh that?" The boy eyed the marks thoughtfully, "I ran into someone earlier and they helped me picked these up. Sorry about the dented cup." The boy flushed at his embarrassing accident, however, on the inside he begun to recall the incident in a different light. Now that Akechi had replayed the scene over in his head, it reminded him of the peculiar movements of that man. His mind scrambled to piece together the very few seconds the two had met and clashed with each other. He remembered his complete astonishment at the other matching and even mirroring his own motions and speed. Just who were they?

"They must have been a kind stranger." The women remarked, noticing just how close the two cups came to spilling on the ground. She looked now to her darkened surroundings as the dusk sun had finally set, and before she could speak anymore, a strike of red and yellow had pierced the brilliant fabric of the starry night sky, blooming into a flurry of colored lights that spread across the dull city skyline.

"The fireworks. Looks like they've finally started." Akechi gazed towards the docks and the water, another bloom had shattered the silence of the area once again, leading to a shower of luminous blue. It was then accompanied by several more claps and boom that rang out through the air.

"I have never witnessed them this up close before." Not only did the shimmering sparks splash onto the city's dark canvas, but also danced and swayed across the dock's calm waters through their morphed reflections.

"So this is your first time?" Akechi witnessed several more blooms, feeling the summer breeze swept across his hair.

The women nodded.

* * *

"Yu? Yu? Where are you?" Ann called into the dense crowd, foreign faces of every shape and sizes were all lined around her, packing her into a severely congested street corner. Loud claps akin to thunder and balls of light blossomed into the sky. The blonde stood on her toes, only to barely catch a glimpse of colored sparks in the air.

"Isn't that awesome?" She could hear someone in the front row exclaim at the dazzling lights, but groaned at her frustration of being stuck in the very back. If only she could have something to stand on-

"What the-?!" Just then, she felt someone gently lift her up from the ground. At first, panicked flood her system and she balled her hand up into a fist to strike at whoever at dared to touch her, sending a ferocious punch that collide with her assault's cheek, only for her to halt in sudden realization. But it was too late.

"Ow!" Souji cried out, feeling a quick burning sensation pass through the left side of his face. "Did you really have to hit that hard?"

"Well could you have warned me beforehand?" Ann glared, "I thought you were a creep trying to trying to touch me in the crowd!" Although her words were harsh, Souji noticed her face reddened significantly.

"It was supposed to be a surprise." the man pouted, causing the girl to sigh.

"Now put me down." She said, still deeply flustered, crossing her arms.

"You sure? The view from up there is pretty sweet-" He had to quickly correct himself before it turned into a perverted comment, " I mean look between those buildings. You can see the fireworks more clearly than ever right…?" Souji sweated buckets, he felt as if he had just dodged a bullet that would have sent him into a blazing inferno that would have made the night's fireworks seem like a simple side show. Instead, he would have been the main lightshow attraction.

"Now that you mention it…" countless strokes of light spiraled their way into the heavens, clashing with the empty dark, exploding into graceful bursts of fire confetti that rained down like mini shooting stars. All reflected in her deep blue orbs, "Can you do you even higher?" the blonde said mesmerized, stars in her eyes.

"Sure thing." Souji watched the blonde's eyes light up in awe among the the array of flashing lights. The moment reminded him of his better days in Inaba where he went out with his own friends. The faded memories of moments gone by seem to get crisper and in focus as time gone by, not unlike a camera adjusting it's blurry lense. With his mind slowly drifting off into his own world, he tried to picture what it would been like if his own group here as well. And slowly, a childish grin creeped onto his face as he imaged the flustered faces of both Yosuke and Chie getting out in another of their silly arguments, while other enjoyed themselves among the festivities. He wondered what a meeting between and Teddie and Morgana would have been like, or the cute interactions he could have seen between Ann and Rise if they ever conversed with one another-

"Hey, Yu. Aren't you tired?"

"Hm?" Souji tilted his head up, finally being pulled back to the real world. "No, not really. I can do this all day if you want." He assured the blonde, who was still in the air.

"I'm beginning to think you have super strength in reality too." he lowered her to the floor.

"Really? You're pretty light compared to some of the stuff I used to lift before. You should put on more weight if want any chance of making my arms go out." Souji chuckled, but nothing happened. In fact, there was neither a flustered reaction, nor a any sort of panicked comment from the other.

Ann gazed at the grey haired man with an annoyed frown, but said nothing else. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, yet neither knew how long really passed. Then it happened.

"You were expecting a reaction out of that weren't you?" She narrowed her eyes. Puffs of Agi where written all over his face.

"What? I think it's cute. I like doing it on purpose." Souji shrugged casually, ignoring the girl's scorching gaze.

"C-cute?"

"Yep. I don't do this with anyone else." His reply had caused the blonde to stumble back and reddened significantly. "You're adorable when you're mad."

Ann held in the urge to assault the idiot in front of her again. "And you're a dork for thinking that…" She looked away, avoiding his gaze as much as she could, hiding her embarrassment.

"And I'm never going to stop."

"Ever?"

"Nope."

She gently yanked at his shirt, finally facing him, "Serious?"

Souji's face lit up, holding out a hand, "Pinky promise?"

She watched him silently before raising her own hand, locking fingers with his, "And whoever fails to keep it swallows a thousand needles."

As the both of them finished their words, a shower of stardust bloomed for the sky and scattered across heavens, sending a wave of light particles raining overhead. Thousands of individual sparks of red, blue, yellow and so on bathed the area in a shower of stars.

As of now, the future for Souji seemed eerily bright, bathing him in its welcoming glow, beckoning, taunting, and guiding him far beyond his failures. Yet, just as the light was about to engulf him, it also alerted the shadows of his past...

* * *

Souji felt a warm hand grasping his own, making his way through an unknown crowd. Faceless individuals wisped by on every corner, passing through and disappearing like thick puffs of smoke. Bright neon lights of various colors blinked on and off in his direction, but it was hard to make out their message. His mind was a fog and he unconsciously cruised by, the only sensations being that same warmth from before, guiding him, assuring him in the lonely metropolis. Yet, the deeper he went, the more bizarre his surroundings became. As what was once looming towers of steel and glass of the city started to distort and fade, soon replaced by smaller, more country like buildings. Soon, the world around him shifted and glitched, twisting, morphing, and melting until there was nothing more but small pieces of abandoned infrastructure. A wave of yellow now tainted the stale air and he felt his hands devoid of that same warmth from before.

Something was wrong.

Obscure…

Very, very wrong….

Suffocating…

As soon as he gathered his senses on the abnormal plane of existence, Souji was nauseous and rattled for the first time in a very long while, his tall frame hunched, limbs numb and cold and his horror plagued face sweaty and weary as if he had been awake for a very long time in absolute misery and torture.

"N-No..."

Souji took a step back and gasped, heart pounding, despair clawing at his throat and every intake of scare air and water vapor burning his throat and lungs. His eyes stung and his arms trembled, legs wobbling but he managed to remain standing, most likely due to the horror that had left him numb and almost listless because for the very time in a very long while...

"This can't be..."

Fog…

"Not again!"

As far as his eye could see.

His sorrowful cry pierced through the area but the echo died down soon after when he heard a sneer from the shadows, widening his eyes because now he knew he was not alone. Someone was lurking in the shadows. Souji had a good idea on who that was and he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her anymore.

He had escape from this nightmare.

Almost blind with the amount of dense fog around him and horrified of the entity just around the corner, Souji reached into his pocket to get the glasses Teddie had made for him.

Nothing…

Glasses that Teddie had made for him…

Glasses that he left discarded way back in the battle in Inaba, never to pick them up again.

"T-Teddie..."

Another haunting whisper made him cry for support and he furiously yelled the name of-

"Rise!"

To guide him out of the hell.

Nothing.

Rise had yelled, no, begged at him to come back and save the rest but he never looked back, not even once.

"G-Guys..."

Souji found some courage and actually looked back, just a small tilt of his head to the side so he could look back and hopefully find his friends who always had his back.

Yosuke.

Kanji.

Yukiko.

Naoto...

All of his friends from whom he used to draw his strength.

"..."

No one.

Just a small shadow staring into his soul way back, from so many miles back and yet it felt as if that stranger had a hand around his throat and was breathing right next to his ear, burning the oxygen in his lungs and the sanity in his mind. Another tremor rocked his body as well as his soul, brain bouncing and smashing into his skull when the dread and horror began to seep in, with old memories and the reality that he had tried so hard to bury in the darkest recesses of his mind.

A small echo of a footstep forced Souji to collect the broken pieces of his mind and hurl his body forward, his palm pushing him back up when he fell forward and his legs kicking him off the ground because he had no other option but to run. Run from her. Run from the memories. Run from the cruel reality.

Run from his failures.

Just like he did years ago.

Souji felt the burn on his legs due to the lack of oxygen and will, build up acid and horror. "Run. Run. Run!" he furiously chanted the same word again and again, forcing his body and mind to co-operate as he ran through the thick fog, a blind and broken heap of a man on his last legs of sanity. He made no effort to summon his strongest personas, personas that had effortlessly crushed the palace shadows because he knew it was futile.

His personas knew it was futile.

Effort was futile against HER. He had found that out way back.

His breath came out with a hiss when his lungs momentarily failed him and Souji tripped, rolling over several times over and his head smacking against the pavement with a thud that left him dazed and confused. He scampered to his feet and resumed the run, catching more footsteps and whispers from the back and front, telling him that there was no escaping her.

"D-Dammit..."

Echos.

"Ann?"

Whispers.

"Akira!"

No one.

Souji smashed head first into the red door in his path, another cruel reminder that he was not in a normal dream and just another nightmare. This was every bit as real as the reality in Inaba years ago. He clawed and punched the entrance and it finally opened up when the figure came within arm's length of him and he just barely escaped her grasp.

Souji heard a giggle and his heart sank, twisting towards the other direction and finding the strange door locked. A small sigh left his lips and a smash at the door made him take a step backwards, fearing it would break and Izanami would get her hands on him again.

Something was very wrong about the new area.

Far more terrible than the last room.

Souji made the stupid mistake of looking back again, something he had sworn not to do and when he did, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground on his knees, arms hanging limp at sides, head tilted to the side and his gray eyes white as sheet because before him...

"No..."

Chie.

Yukiko.

Kanji.

"Guys..."

Sprawled out on the floor, inhumanely bent, listless and pale.

Dead.

Souji clasped his mouth with both of his hands to stop himself from vomiting and his stomach churned, twisting and turning, his heart smashing into his rib-cage and his mind rapidly shutting down in response to seeing his comrades, his friends lying dead in the domain of the goddess, battle scars and wounds still fresh and gushing out blood. Souji had lost his voice but his soul was screaming at him to do something and he did, punching, slapping and pinching himself as hard and as brutally as he could, causing welts and bruises but he remained in the foggy world, forced to look at their corpses right beside him.

Souji clawed at his eyes and the fog drew denser, obscuring the dead bodies and physically hurting him it when into his eyes and then down his throat, chilling and burning every single of his nerves and organs. He could hear his own shout echo in nothing but his head, reverberating horribly over and over until he fell back, more and more of the fog overwhelming him and blinding him to everything and everyone.

There was just fog.

And a pale hand of a goddess beckoning him and then reaching for his throat.

* * *

 **Huh, 9k this time, eh? Didn't expect that. Fucking hell, I need more motivation like this in my life. Last time I tried writing a chapter completely solo, I hated it… hell, I still hate it. Ah well.**


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